Flashes
by Pirate-x-Girls
Summary: Moments of perfect clarity are rare, and when they happen the jigsaw begins to fall together. A very AU Eragon/Arya fic set in the present day. Rated M for later chapters. Please review
1. Prologue

Ok, this is an idea which has been floating round in my head for a couple of weeks now and it won't leave me alone. I think it stemmed from re-reading/watching Eragon and I just have a fascination as to how his and Arya's relationship would progress if they lived in present day so this is where this is sat.

This is just a prolouge, i'm testing the waters here. If you read this and you like it and would perhaps like to see more of it please leave me a review. Because I would like to continue this but am very aware of how AU it is. So please give it a chance and tell me what you think :)

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Sometimes, something can feel so right, that it's wrong. When everything falls into place at the right moment, all at the same time, it's unnatural. Life is supposed to be a puzzle that is always being made, but there are those rare moments in time when more than one piece slots together, and these are the moments that inspire great things, novels are written about them, songs sung about them and cameras catch them. Fiction depicts them so often that people believe that they are destined to have them all the time. But the reality is far from it, these moments are rare, so rare that when they do actually happen most people will miss them. Only to realise much later on that something had happened, something profound that would shape their perceptions forever.

Luckily for him this moment did not escape his notice, he was aware of it with pristine clarity. By rights it was a moment that should have been a blur, it was loud, it was bright and he'd been drinking. But yet he could hear every beat to the music, the hum of it as it vibrated through the air and into his ears. The lights that flashed and blinked slowed until he could see each spectacle of light as if refracted off all the different surfaces. His head was spinning and he could feel the alcohol coursing through his veins igniting his blood and making him feel more alive than he had ever felt before. But all of these details which he could recall perfectly paled into insignificance next to the feeling of her.

His fingertips are brushing against her scantily clad body as she dances next to him; the cloth from her skimpy dress tickles his hands and sends shivers coursing up his arms to his torso. Her eyes held him captivated, their emerald orbs sparkling in the bright lights. Like two sparks of fire they hold his gaze, not letting him go. She moves closer still to him until his chest is brushing against hers; he thinks the sensations may just drive him crazy. The alcohol in his veins is overtaken by a surge of adrenaline and desire that sets every inch of him tingling, making him even more sensitive to her touch. He can smell her, that beautiful mind trapping scent of perfume and nature. Crushed pine leaves, he has no idea how he is able to determine this, as he has never been exposed to them. But his brain provides him with the answer, making each inhalation all the sweeter. He can taste her smell on his tongue whenever he takes a breath and he inches closer to savour it, commit it to his memory forever. Her eyes draw him back in again with a mischievous sparkle, pulling him in even deeper than he already is. He's in too deep and he knows it but he doesn't care, and as his eyes flicker down to her mouth he throws away all inhibitions.

Time stops as their lips meet, for a split second he can see everything, her eyes closing lazily as she leans up to meet him. The dancers around him, the thumping of the music reduced to a physical vibration reverberating towards him, he can see crystal clearly for the first time and can almost hear the clicking as more than one piece of the jigsaw slots into place. But then the second is over and time speeds up, whizzing by now in a blur of sensations and raw emotion. Her lips are soft and tilting her head she presses herself closer to him, he can taste the mint and alcohol on her breath or is it from his breath? He can't tell but he doesn't care, his fingers dig into her arms with a painful intensity and she lets out a gasp into his mouth, her lips curling into a smile against his own.

It could have lasted for a minute, it could have lasted forever. He could not fathom how much time had elapsed and nor did he want to. His mind was fixed firmly in the now, he would not allow it to dwell on images of the past nor drift to aspirations of the future, the here and the now was all that mattered and he was taking all he could get.

His taking would end however as the delicious lips were drawn away from his own. Eyes snapping open he caught one last glimpse of her emerald fires before they danced away from him into the throng of dancers, and like a fire extinguished in the dead of night they were gone.


	2. Chapter 1

First of all thanks for the reviews :) i probably would have continued on with this story regardless but it is always nice to know when people do enjoy your work. This chapter gave me a bit of trouble and headaches, I'm still not totally happy with it but after all the scribbling out I did whilst drafting it I imagine it probably will be at the best it can be. I hope you all enjoy it :)

Forgot to say last time, all characters belong to Christopher Paolini. I own nothing.

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**Flashes**

**Chapter 1**

_Four months earlier…_

The noise was the first thing he noticed. It was relentless, covering a city that never slept in a blanket of constant hubbub. Cars crawled along backlogged streets like giant beetles. Their eyes blinking impatiently. Car horns, shouts and the faint buzzing of hundreds of electrical devices all combined to create a roaring in his ears unlike anything else he had ever heard.

For a few moments he was struck dumb. Having grown up on a farm and living there all his life the sprawling city was a major change of scenery and it was a lot to take in. Glancing down at his feet he concentrated on the faint vibrations he could feel coursing through the earth, as if carried by some unseen energy force. Where his feet were planted on the floor he felt the vibrations connect with the soles of his feet, and they seemed to send tendrils of adrenaline shooting through his blood until his whole body was buzzing. This buzzing joined the already near deafening roaring in his ears, building until he imagined he could feel his brain rattling around in his skull.

He was pulled sharply from his wonderment by the sound of his name.

"Eragon!" looking up, he saw his cousin, Roran, standing a few feet away, hands on hips and an exasperated expression gracing his thick features. Eragon smiled sheepishly and plucking his rucksack off the floor hurried to catch up with his cousin.

Looking at the two boys, it would have been very easy just to assume they were brothers. Both had blonde hair that was curly and tousled, features set in a slightly similar way and fair skin. But there were subtle differences that betrayed the fact that they weren't totally brothers. Roran was more thickly set and built like a tank in a way that didn't look gym made, more genetic. Eragon was thinner and wiry, his eyes were more piercing and unlike Roran's features his were more angled and almost elfin like. Roran emitted impatience that could be felt keenly by the people around him, whereas Eragon radiated calm, curious in one so young.

Roran swore violently as a car whizzed by as he had made to step out into the road.

"God! Some people are so bloody uggghhh!" he fumed. Beside him Eragon smiled at his cousin's quick temper. Taking his arm he led Roran down the busy street to a zebra crossing.

"Surely this would be a better place to cross." He smirked; Roran glared at him, and then strode across the road. Eragon had to hurry to keep up with his long strides. Pushing through the people he still couldn't keep his eyes from roving around his surroundings. The tall buildings made him feel incredibly small in a way that he had never experienced before. It was also more crowded than any other place he had ever been to, there were people everywhere, Eragon had of course known that this was to be expected but their sheer numbers till caught him by surprise. Eragon was by nature a solitary person; he enjoyed the countryside, the peace and fresh air. Amongst the people he felt very claustrophobic and for a moment he felt a bubble of panic rise up in his chest. Casting his gaze frantically he heaved a sigh of relief when he caught sight of Roran's distinctive blonde tousled hair. He quickened his pace until he was once again walking next to him.

The two young men came to a stop at the bottom of a block of flats. Rotan placed the bag he had been carrying on the floor, and fished a piece of paper out of his pocket; he scanned over it with a slight frown.

"Right I think this is it." He muttered. Turning, he surveyed Eragon with serious expression. "Eragon…" he started, Eragon heaved a sigh and rubbed his eyes wearily.

"Roran, don't start! Please. This is what I want to do and whatever you and Garrow think this IS my decision and I stand by everything I said before I left." Roran's fist clenched tighter around the piece of paper, betraying his frustration.

"Eragon! You're 18! You've never lived away from us. What are you going to do?!" he sighed exasperatedly. Eragon took a deep breath.

"Roran, I can't spend my entire life living and working on a farm! It might be enough for you and Garrow, but I wasn't something more." He paused and glanced around. "I want to do something where the outcome is unclear, where I don't know what'll happen! I'm no kid anymore and I know what I want." He smiled and clapped Roran on the shoulder.

"Besides, as for my living arrangements, I'll be safe." Roran grumbled under his breath as Eragon reached past him and pushed one the buttons. For a moment there was silence than a curt voice sound over the intercom.

"What do you want?!" Roran raised his eyebrows and Eragon smiled. "It's me."

"Eragon?" the voice had lost all its curtness. "Oh my god! You made it!" Eragon looked at Roran.

"You gonna let me in?"

"What? Oh yeah sure come on up!" the voice cut off and the buzzer sounded.

Eragon counted along the doors until he reached 102. He rapped sharply on the door three times, grinning as the sounds of excited scuffling emitted from behind the door. It was yanked open roughly and he only caught sight of a pair of sapphire eyes before he was enveloped in a back breaking hug.

"Eragon!" a high pitched voice squealed next to his ear. His bags fell to the floor as he hugged the excitable bundle. He pulled back after a few seconds.

"Saphira! It's so good to see you." beaming from ear to ear he stood back to survey his best friend from head to toe. Her most prominent feature was of course her bright piercing sapphire eyes, the cause of her name; they were set in a thin face that radiated beauty and amusement, a cute button nose and a mouth that was always on the edge of an infectious smile. Her short brown hair was spiked up in all directions; she wore a t-shirt which hugged her thin figure perfectly. Jeans and odd socks completed her outfit and made Eragon chuckle, he could practically feels Roran's surprise behind him, and sure enough when he turned round he could see Roran gazing at Saphira with unconcealed bewilderment. For some reason this amused Eragon and stepping back he looked from Roran to Saphira.

"Roran, this is Saphira, who I'll be living with. Saphira this is Roran, my cousin." Roran cleared his throat and stuck his hand out.

"Hi, err it's a pleasure to meet you." Saphira sauntered over and grasped his hand, giving Eragon a sly wink as she did so, which caused him to stifle a chuckle.

"The pleasure is all mine. Don't worry I'll look after Eragon here, make sure he's ok and settled." Roran nodded and giving Eragon his suitcase pulled out an envelope.

"Here." He said handing it over. "Just a little something from me and Garrow." Eragon cautiously opened the envelope and his eyes widened as he rifled through the money it held. Looking up at Roran he pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you!" he breathed, Roran clapped him on the back.

"Don't mention it," he replied gruffly. "Just look after yourself."

They didn't waste much time on goodbyes. Within five minutes Roran had gone and Eragon was left standing in the corridor with Saphira. He was surprised to find himself slightly teary eyed at Roran's departure, it was not an emotion he had expected to confront. Saphira tactfully let the moment pass before she spoke.

"You ready to come inside." Eragon nodded; taking a deep breath he picked up his bags and took his first step into the unknown.

XXXXXX

"So this is where I live." Saphira smiled and cast her hands out. Once in the door Eragon found himself in a small dimly lit hallway, there was a door at the end of the hallway. Two doors led off the right hands side and two on the left. The wallpaper was fading and in some places worn away completely, and the air was permeated by a slightly dusty smell. Eragon realised that Saphira was watching him.

"It's very nice." He replied politely. Saphira tipped her head back and laughed.

"Eragon, you're too polite for your own good!" she chortled flicking her hand she led him down the hallway to the room at the end. It opened into the master bedroom. A double bed took up most of the space, an ornate wooden desk stretched under the window which looked out onto the city. Clothes, CD's and books were strewn across the floor in a haphazard manner. Eragon raised an eyebrow as a smirk pulled at his mouth. Saphira noticed it and slapped him upside the head.

"Oi! Messy it homely!" dragging him from the room she showed him the rest of the flat. The door nearest the front door on the right was a living space that connected to the kitchen in the next room. A modest bathroom with shower, bath, sink and toilet was next to Saphira's room.

"And this…" Saphira proclaimed opening the last door. "…is your room!" standing aside she allowed him to step through. The room was smaller than Saphira's but the layout basically the same. A small single bed was against one wall and a desk much like Saphira's was placed directly below the window. The major difference however was the view. Saphira's room offered a rather nominal view, boring. But the view in Eragon's room was something else entirely. The entire city was laid out in front of them, every sprawling suburb and luxurious mansion. Set up on a hill the block of flats allowed an unparalleled and unobstructed view. The sun was sinking below the horizon as if it knew the room was one show and wanted to impress, and impress it did. The deep hues of red and orange bleached the skyline in a beautiful amalgamation of colour and the windows of the surrounding buildings causing a breathtaking palette of colours.

"I know it's a little shabby." Saphira muttered jamming her hands in her pockets. Eragon turned to face her, the setting sun reflected in his eyes illuminating his face and the wonderment it concealed.

"Are you kidding?! This place is perfect!" he breathed. Saphira grinned and chucked his bag at him.

"Right! Clean up! We're going out for dinner."

XXXXXX

Saphira had been Eragon's best friend for over ten years. They had first met on one of Eragon's rare trips away from the farm with his uncle Garrow. Saphira was three years his senior and was as close as a sister to him. The fair they had met at had been held annually for nearly 150 years. Eragon had been a timid 7 year old boy, clinging tightly to his uncle's hand. Saphira had been the self assured 9 year old daughter of one of the dealers. When charged to look after the small boy whilst the adults 'talked business' Saphira had beheld him with the greatest look of motherly affection that she could muster.

"Now then little one, what's your name?" from that moment on a bond had been formed and they had been close ever since. The term 'little one' had stuck, becoming more and more condescending, especially when Eragon had entered his teens. Their friendship had been one of distance, Eragon lived on a remote farm hidden away in the countryside, and Saphira lived in the middle of a busy city. They saw each other once or twice a year but yet their friendship had remained strong. Unusually so, Garrow had often commented that they seemed more like brother and sister. A fact that Eragon had always been proud of. His bond with Roran had always been good but his older cousin, who had had his own life, had never had enough time for his younger cousin. Eragon's bond with Saphira had always been stronger, despite the distance.

When Eragon had first mentioned that he was thinking of moving out, with no plans to go to university after he had completed his A-Levels it had been Saphira who had immediately offered up her flat for him to share. Whilst Garrow and Roran had protested vehemently against him leaving, insisting that it was a rash and stupid decision Saphira had been the only one supporting him and it had probably been her influence that had swayed Garrow's mind. Garrow had only met Saphira a handful of times, but he loved her like a daughter and trusted her to look after Eragon. Roran had still been very against the idea but once Garrow had given his blessing there was very little that he could do. So he to had finally, albeit begrudgingly, agreed to Eragon's move. And now here Eragon was, away from home for the first time and the gravity of what he had decided to do was hitting him.

Eragon stared in frustration at his clothes laid out on the bed. He had been standing, wrapped in nothing but a towel glaring at his clothes for the last 15 minutes trying to decide on something to wear. His eyes lingered on a white shirt and heaving a sigh he snatched it up.

He was buttoning up a pair of his favourite worn jeans when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in." he called. Saphira poked her head round the door and grinned.

"Looking fly!" she smirked. "You ready?" Eragon nodded and picked up his jacket.

"Sure," he smiled, "let's go."

Eragon felt rather underdressed, he was convinced that based on his apparel Saphira had brought him here on purpose. Looking around he saw tuxedos and suits dresses and elegant satin. Plucking self consciously at the collar of his white shirt he returned his gaze to Saphira, who was watching him with a badly concealed smirk on her face. Eragon narrowed his eyes.

"You did this on purpose!" he accused. Saphira leant back in her seat and took a nonchalant sip of her wine.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She replied primly. Replacing her wine she leaned forward and locked eyes with him. "Maybe you should consider this as a suggestion." Eragon raised an eyebrow.

"A suggestion?" he prompted. A mischievous glint entered Saphira's eyes.

"Aye, a suggestion little one." She smirked, using her special nickname for him. "A suggestion that perhaps you need a new wardrobe." The straight face she had been working to keep fell and she descended into a fit of giggles. Eragon glared at her.

"You're cruel!" he pouted. Saphira continued to laugh, attracting the stares of people at the nearby tables. "Where am I gonna get the money to buy a new wardrobe?!" Saphira had finally managed to control herself and was taking another sip of wine, looking up she smiled.

"Ah now that's something I wanted to talk to you about. I didn't want to say anything before because it was only confirmed this morning." Eragon leaned forward, his interest pricked.

"What was confirmed?" he asked eagerly.

"I was able to get you a job at the firm I work at." She replied. Eragon's eyes widened.

"Really? You didn't have to do that!" he beamed.

"It's not a great job mind; you'd be a lackey for me and my partner. Fetching drinks, getting papers. But the pay is reasonable and should allow you some independence." Eragon was speechless. Saphira smiled. "Well say something." She said Eragon let out a breath.

"I can't believe you did this for me!" Saphira snorted.

"It's a job Eragon, it's not like I've offered you one of my kidney's!" Eragon rolled his eyes at her sarcasm.

"You know what I mean. You've already let me move in with you. If it weren't for you I never would have even had the chance to move away." He grinned. "And besides, I've worked on a farm. I'm used to being a lackey."

"Good because you start tomorrow."

XXXXXX

Varden was an international shipping company, specialising in retail of produce. A large chunk of its resources were also spent on getting aid to war torn countries. Its headquarters were situated in a large glass fronted building a couple of miles outside the city centre. Stretching high above all the other buildings in the area it was an intimidating structure. Eragon, standing at the bottom of it was once again overcome with a feeling of smallness. He hesitated, nervousness creeping in for the first time. This was quickly brought to an end by Saphira poking him sharply in the back.

"Come on! I don't pay you to stand around all day!" Sweeping past him she disappeared into the building, forcing Eragon to run to keep up with her. She led him into the elevator, pressing the button for the 8th floor. The doors slid closed with a soft 'ping', as they ascended Eragon felt the usual queasiness descend in his stomach he got whenever he rode in an elevator, although how much of it was down to nerves as well was indeterminable. Saphira hadn't told him much about her partner that he would also be working for; only that she ran a tight ship and was not someone to get on the wrong side of.

The elevator doors opened into a spacious carpeted space, booths were dotted here and there and people hurried around in a busy manner. Saphira led him swiftly through into a big office, a big glass window overlooking the city provided light that filled the whole office. She immediately went to her desk and started rifling through papers, muttering to herself. Looking up she stared straight past him, the looked at her clock.

"She should be here." She muttered. Eragon moved forward.

"Who should be here?" he ventured timidly. Saphira opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by a sharp knocking on the door of her office.

"Ah!" Saphira exclaimed, striding past Eragon. "She's here!" the door opened and a figure slipped inside as Eragon turned to ask again who 'she' was. But he never got that far as the words died in the back of his throat as his eyes came to rest on an angel.

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Well I hope you enjoyed that, please review letting me know your thoughts and perhaps where you'd like to see this go.

Pirate-x-Girls


	3. Chapter 2

I'm surprised I got this done so quickly considering that this chapter also gave me some problems. A note on chatracters, I've tried to write Arya as close to the book equivilent as I can, but taken out of the context of the book sometimes her character won't be a direct parallel. Given that her motivation behind her actions will not be the same here as it is in the book, but I have done my best. The way I have chosen to portray her is actually based rather heavily on someone I know. Anyway I hope you all enjoy it!

N.B: All mistakes are my own, as much as I try to catch them typos are slippery buggers and continue to elude me!

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**Flashes**

**Chapter 2**

His throat constricted and he suddenly had trouble breathing, he could feel his eyes widening and in the back of his mind he was dimly aware that he must look like a right prat but he didn't care. He was smitten, it was the only way to describe the strange way his body was acting and how it wouldn't respond to any rational command that his brain gave it.

What held him so captivated was a woman, a beautiful woman. The first thing he noticed was her hair, ebony black and from what he could see dead straight. She had it scraped back into a ponytail and for that Eragon was very grateful, because it allowed him an unobstructed view of her face.

Her eyes, were mesmerising, a beautiful shade of emerald they were even more captivating that Saphira's and Eragon hadn't even thought that was possible. Her face itself was thin and angled at the bottom towards her chin, in a way that seemed elegant beyond compare. Her skin was flawless and Eragon had an overwhelming temptation to reach out and touch it to see if it was as soft to touch as it looked. He had to work hard to restrain himself.

The rest of her body was just as wonderful as he face. Curving in all the right places she had a willowy appearance, and from her stance Eragon could tell that she was just as elegant in movement as she was stood still. She was wearing a plain whit blouse with the two top buttons undone, leaving very little to Eragon's already over active imagination. Low riding jeans hung off her hips and if Eragon concentrated he could just see the outline of her hip bones over the tops of her jeans.

He was pulled from his dazed wonderment by the realisation that his angel was talking. Snapping his attention back to reality he listened, waiting to see if her voice compared to the rest of her. It did.

"…getting very difficult to get anything cleared because the bloody idiots in accounting keep slowing everything down." Her voice was in Eragon's mind like silk, soft and smooth, but there was a harder edge to it that showed her annoyance. To him it was like hearing for the first time and Eragon marvelled at the sounds and savoured it. He took an involuntary step forward trying to listen more.

"I've looked over the figures as well Saphira and something isn't quite right. I mean we're sending over £1 million worth of rations to these third world countries, but in the returning reports it seems to appear that only two thirds of it seem to be actually getting there!" his angel was frowning, causing a cute little line to appear between her eyes, which Eragon found adorable and immediately committed to memory. Both Saphira and the angel seemed to have either no idea that he was there or forgotten, but didn't seem to mind; he was quite content to enjoy the view.

"Ah man! I thought we'd settled that!" Saphira groaned. "I'll have to speak to Todd about that this afternoon." The angel nodded and opened her mouth to reply, but then her eyes flickered to the side and seemed to notice Eragon for the first time. Her mouth closed and the frown returned, turning to face Eragon front on she locked eyes with him, the intensity of her gaze caused Eragon to go weak at the knees.

"And who's this?" she asked, arching a sceptical eyebrow. Saphira looked between Eragon and the angel.

"Oh god yes! Sorry, this is Eragon, he's living with me and I've got him a job here." She smiled. "We've been pretty swamped lately and I figured we could have some help. Eragon this is Arya, my work partner." Arya, the angel had a name it was beautiful. Eragon maintained eye contact and stuck out a hand.

"It's nice to meet you." he smiled. Arya hesitated her eyes flickering up and down, taking him in before she reached out and grasped his hand firmly. The contact of skin on skin was enough to send fire racing through Eragon's blood, and he was ashamed to feel his jeans tighten. Thankful he had worn loser jeans he flashed her what he thought was a charming smile. Her raised eyebrow arched even higher.

"Nice to meet you too." She replied, he voice seemingly devoid of emotion. Releasing his hand she turned and spoke to Saphira again.

"Let me know what Todd says, I may want to have words with him myself." Saphira nodded as Arya turned to leave. Looking back at Eragon her smile dimmed slightly as she saw the look on his face. He was smitten; there was no doubt about it. But he had fallen for the wrong person entirely.

The rest of the day seemed to be mainly a blur for Eragon. People and names were thrown at him; he was shown around the massive building to all the places he was likely to be needed to go. Filing away everything in his brain Eragon seemed to be working on autopilot. For a large majority of the day he was too preoccupied with thoughts of Arya. He found himself drifting off into daydreams at regular intervals, sitting at the small desk Saphira had had set up from him just outside her office. His first day had been spent mainly getting to grips with the new environment that he had been thrust into. After a morning of introductions Saphira showed him down to a busy canteen. Directing him to the food she met him at an empty table. Eragon craned his neck as subtly as he could trying to catch a glimpse of Arya, of his angel. He caught Saphira watching him with a strange look on her face when he sat down, but when he questioned her she just shook her head. Eragon chewed mindlessly at his food; gazing around at all the people who had gathered top eat their lunch, very aware that Saphira was still stealing glances at him when she thought he wasn't looking.

"So how are you finding it?" she finally asked. Eragon smiled.

"Different." He paused. "But very enjoyable." Saphira raised an eyebrow but didn't comment further.

XXXXXX

The first week of his new job was one full of new experiences for Eragon. Working on a farm was a job of few rules. The main one that Garrow had drilled into Roran and Eragon had been 'look after the land and it will look after you.' the processes were simple enough and the etiquette was minimal, a horse did not generally answer back. But here in the office environment things suddenly got a lot more complex, there were people he should talk to, some he was advised not to talk to and other who he should just steer clear of. There certain times of the day that he should use the elevator and others to use the stairs. His lunch break should be at the same time as others of his position but if someone of a higher position decided that they wanted to eat lunch at the same place he was to move without argument or complaint. The structure reminded Eragon heavily of the structure of an old English monarchy court he had read about in the stories of his childhood. There were many rules that Eragon forgot and as such he had his first run in with a colleague just two days in.

He was sat at his desk, sorting some files that Saphira had given him to look through when a shadow fell over his desk. Looking upwards he saw a man standing by his desk leering down at him with an expression that instantly made him wary. The man was very fat and the blue pinstripe suit he was wearing seemed too small for him emphasising the massive stomach that bulged over his trousers. He had a large file clutched in one hand and a Blackberry phone in the other. Every few seconds he would pull his gaze away from whatever he was looking at to check the phone, regardless of whether or not he had received anything.

"You must be Eragon." he said, his voice rough and almost mocking. "I'm Roger Sloan, Head of International Meat Shipping. I heard Saphira had a new assistant but I wasn't aware that we were hiring children." He let out a guffaw of laughter and checked his phone again. Eragon had only been in the man's presence less than a minute but he already didn't like him, this dislike was only increased when Sloan hefted the file he had been holding and put it down on the desk in front of him, over the papers he had already been looking through.

"You couldn't have a look through that for us could you? Sort it out and get it back to me by…" he looked at his phone. "…4?" Eragon glanced at the clock, it was ten to two and the files he had already been sorting had taken him best part of two hours already and they were three times smaller than the file Sloan had given him.

"Err; I'm not really sure that I'm supposed to be doing your filing." He ventured. "I've already got something to do for Saphira." Sloan's eyes widened in surprise at his words and then his face darkened. Placing two meaty hands on Eragon's desk he pushed his face forward until he was but two inches from Eragon's face.

"Listen _boy_." He growled. "I know you're new here so I'm going to pretend I didn't hear what you just said, because around here, generally when I ask something to be done, by whoever I choose it gets done!"

"Does it really Roger?" a voice behind Eragon made him turn round and Sloan look up. Saphira was leaning in the doorway of her office, and from the looks of things she had heard the entire conversation. "Because I was under the impression that you have your own time to manage your own files, and that you've already been warned about getting other people to do your work when they have no need to." Pushing away from the door she came to stand behind Eragon's chair and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"I also don't appreciate you picking on my assistant who has only been here two days and really doesn't know anything about you and your reluctance to do ANY form of work!" Sloan's face had flushed a deep red and was slowly turning purple with a mixture of anger and embarrassment, Saphira raised her eyebrows and with a huff he snatched his file up off the table and mumbling something that could have sounded like sorry stalked off. Saphira clapped Eragon on the shoulder.

"Don't worry about him, he's just bitter because he's never gotten higher than Head of Meat Shipping, which is _not_ a desirable job at all!" with a laugh she retreated back into her office.

Aside from this incident Saphira's high position within the company meant that Eragon did have the respect of people further down the food chain, copiers and various small time accountants, but the executives treated him with a cold disdain, treating him like crap or just ignoring him altogether. He could handle this, as he had been used to being looked down on his entire life. But it was not something Saphira seemed to tolerate, she spent most of the first week fighting his battles and scaring off anyone who might give everyone problems. As much as he appreciated all that Saphira had done from him he felt uncomfortable letting her fight his battles for him. To Eragon it always seemed that whenever Saphira fought a battle for him Arya always seemed to be there. It was mortifying and Eragon seemed to spend a lot of his first week blushing a bright beetroot red.

Arya. A source of both amazement and secrecy for Eragon. because most of his work required him to sit outside Saphira's office sorting papers and a lot of her work required her to go back and forth between Saphira's office and her own it meant that Eragon saw quite a lot of her and was able to watch her. He was able to see the way she moved and have his assumption that her movements were as elegant as he imagined confirmed. He was able to take in every detail of her face, until he could close his eyes and bring it to mind within seconds. In particular he was able to notice how she interacted with the people around her, how her demeanour and attitude changed, specifically different genders. With the woman Eragon had seen her interact with he had noted that she was relaxed, she smiled and a glint would appear in her eyes that transformed her whole face, brightening it and holding Eragon captivated. She spoke more as well and her body language became more flamboyant.

But all this changed when she interacted with men. She seemed to physically tense, her mouth thinned and her eyes took on a glassy almost steely glint. It was harsh there was no other way to describe it, she spoke in few word sentences and seemed to try and get conversations with men over as quickly as she possibly could. The difference were subtle, most people would never notice but Eragon had been paying _very_ close attention.

Saphira buzzed through to Eragon's desk.

"Can you come in for a moment Eragon, I need you to take some folders to Arya." His heart did a flip at the very mention of her name, and as he stood up he mentally chastised himself for allowing a reaction like that. He entered and without a word took the folders that she passed him. Saphira nodded and went back to her work.

Eragon knew the layout to the building quite well now, and although he had never been inside Arya's office he knew where it was. Set aside from other offices there were very people around and as such it was very quiet as Eragon made his way down the corridor to the office at the end. The secluded nature of her office showed once again a seeming reluctance Arya had to interact with other people.

Pausing in front of the office door Eragon took a deep breath and tried to compose his features into a calm, neutral mask. Raising a hand he knocked sharply.

"Come in." Eragon slowly pushed open the door and poked his head round the door. The office had exactly the same layout as Saphira's, a big window with a desk, computer and cabinets filling up the space. Arya was sat behind her desk, frowning at some papers paid out in front of her. As the sound of the door opening she looked up.

"Eragon." she acknowledged him with a curt nod before returning her gaze to her desk. He inched all the way into the room and closed the door. Crossing the space between the door and the desk he held out the files, Arya glanced up briefly and stretched out a hand. As she took the folders their hands touched briefly, which send a jolt through Eragon's body, he tried not to let it show on his face. Arya leafed through the folders as Eragon made to leave.

"Wait." Stopping her turned. "I'll go over these and sign them now so you may as well wait here." Without looking up she gestured to the seat opposite her, after a second's hesitation Eragon timidly sat down.

There was silence for a few moments, Eragon stared down at his hands, trying to think of something he might say to break the awkward silence, this was the first time he had been in a position to speak to Arya since he had started work and here he was staying mute like some sort of fool. When he did glance up he was surprised to find Arya gazing at him intently, she had stopped working and was just watching him. The intensity of her gaze, the same as that of the stare she had fixed him with on his first day, made him feel uncomfortable and he shifted in his chair. This seemed to break the spell and Arya looked down.

"So Eragon? How are you finding working at Varden?" she asked. Eragon realised it was the first time she had said his name, he liked it so much that for a moment he didn't respond.

"Err…it's different." He finally replied. Arya flashed a hint of a smile.

"I'll bet." She replied." She made a note on her paper and looked up." So…tell me, do you always get women to fight your battles for you?" she asked, a smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth. Eragon coughed and blushed furiously.

"Well no…I mean I don't think they can't or anything…but I don't technically ask. Saphira just kind of thinks I need protecting. She worries about me." He babbled. Arya stood up and walked over the cabinet, as soon as her back was turned Eragon mentally slapped himself for giving such a stupid answer. Looking up again he noticed that as she walked away he was given a wonderful view of her ass, hugged perfectly by tight jeans.

"That sounds like Saphira, always looking out for everyone else. Trying to solve everyone's problems." Eragon snapped his eyes away from her ass as she spoke again, he was surprised to head a hint of tenderness in her voice as she spoke about Saphira and for a heart stopping moment he wondered if perhaps the two of them were an item. But the thought was banished from his head as soon as it entered, Saphira would have mentioned that!

"You two are close?" Eragon asked, still a little curious. Arya looked round and fixed him once again with a stare. He found himself unable to draw his gaze away from her emerald orbs; he searched for a sign of emotion, and found none.

"Saphira is a very special person." Arya spoke carefully as if she was choosing her words with extra care. "I admire her a great deal and am grateful to have her both as a friend and a colleague." She was now sat down opposite him once more. Eragon hated to even acknowledge it but he could feel a certain coldness emanating from her.

"You err…you're not so happy that I'm here are you?" he asked. Arya didn't seem to respond and for a moment Eragon was worried that he had overstepped the mark. The seconds seem to pass agonisingly slowly before she finally looked up.

"I trust Saphira's judgement." She said once again with care. "I'll admit I was sceptical on your first day because it did seem to be rushed and no one had said anything about it to me." Eragon's heart fell a little and it must have shown on his face because Arya seemed to hesitate.

"What I mean is now I've had a week to see you I'm not so sceptical anymore." She gave him a tiny smile. "I'm almost impressed…apart from the whole having women fight your battles." Her smiled widened slightly and gave away that she was jesting. Eragon also guessed that he 'almost impressed' comment was about as high praise as he was going to get.

"Well hopefully I can change your opinion from 'almost' impressed to 'impressed'" he grinned. Arya arched an eyebrow and leant back in her chair.

"I'll look forward to observing your efforts." She replied.

Eragon couldn't help but wonder if they were flirting. His experience with the female gender was very limited to stuttered sentences and a couple of hurried fumbles. He didn't really think Arya would flirt with him considering the way she acted around men, but top Eragon it certainly felt like flirting.

Looking down at his hands again Eragon suddenly felt very nervous. Feeling he must have been in the room for ages he sneaked a look at his watch, to his amazement he had only been there five minutes. Glancing up he caught sight of the name plate stamped to the front of the desk. 'Arya Dröttningu'.

"Your last name is an interesting one." He said. Arya didn't look up.

"Yeah confuses a lot of people." Eragon smiled, trying not to notice how she had reverted back to short few word sentences.

"I can imagine." The silence descended again and Eragon realized that he had absolutely nothing to say, his mind had gone blank. Swallowing he tried hard not to watch Arya work. She was even more beautiful that she had been on the day he had first met her. She looked at her work through downcast eyes, her lashes framing her eyes in a way that took his breath away. Her tied up hair had fallen over one shoulder revealing one side of her neck to him. The skin looked so smooth and soft that Eragon had to shake his head to stop himself leaning across the desk. Finally Arya signed the last paper and closing the file handed them back across the desk.

"Here you are, sorry it took so long." She apologised.

"It's no problem." He stood up and turned to make for the door.

"Eragon." Once again she stopped him. "I hope you enjoy working here. But be careful, there's always a trap that you can fall into if you're not paying attention." Eragon nodded slowly not even pretending to understand what she was talking about and quickly left the room without looking back. He could feel Arya's eyes on him as he left. Leaning back against the door as it closed he exhaled deeply and closed his eyes. After a moment he walked off, feeling more confused than he'd ever been.

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Welllll I do also apologise for the pace it's something I need to work on and hopefully it will pick up in the next couple of chapters. Please review and let me know what you thought, as i value your inputs greatly! :)

Pirate-x-Girls


	4. Chapter 3

**Sorry about the delay, I had this written about a week ago and only just got around to typing it up so for that I apologise. But I am quite pleased with this chapter, I feel it develops the story a bit more. Before we start though I am going to reply to some reviews, something I have neglected earlier in this story. **

**Hellstarz: Your comment made me smile so thank you. I am very happy that I've been able to keep you happy with the way I've lifted this story to a modern age. I'm glad you want to follow it and please do let me know what yout hink of this chapter! :)**

**InheritenceArtist: We know who the angel is now! I suppose I did have Alice in mind when I wrote the character of Saphira but I have tried to keep as much of the original charcter in there as I could! Hope you enjoy this chapter :)**

**Shadow-KissedKK: It's a huge relief that people like the way I have portrayed Arya, because she was the charcter I was most worried about brining forward, because of her complex nature. Like I said before I took inspiration from someone I know and it seems to have worked out quite well because I do believe that there are conflicting aspects of her personality that are explored in this chapter. :)**

**Right on with the story!  
**

* * *

**Flashes **

**Chapter 3**

A knock sounded on Arya's office door, with an irritated sigh she set her pen down.

"Come in." the scowl on her face dropped instantly as the door opened.

"Saphira! She grinned, Saphira smiled as she closed the door. Usually when entering Arya's office Saphira would sit down straight away and say whatever it was that she had to say, but today Saphira loitered at the door, almost as if nervous. Her eyes roved round the room seeming to rest anywhere but Arya, her hands were twisting each other to a painful intensity but the movement looked unconscious as if Saphira had no idea that she was going it. Arya ignored this abnormal behaviour for a moment, but finally she put her pen aside and regarded Saphira with a smile.

"What's up?" she asked. Saphira looked up and seemed to realise for the first time that she was still stood up.

"Nothing." She responded quickly and slid into the seat. "I had another chat with Todd this morning and he's still adamant that the third of the shipment we say we can't account for is…" she trailed off as Arya's smile got more sceptical.

"What are you really here for Saphira? I'm not one of those bone heads from downstairs, you can't pull the wool over my eyes." she smirked. Saphira relaxed back in her chair and gazed at Arya silently for a moment.

"What do you think of Eragon?" she asked after careful deliberation. Arya frowned, surprise entering her eyes.

"He seems a hard worker, willing to please…" Saphira waved a hand dismissively.

"I don't mean what do you think of him professionally, I know how hard he works, if I didn't I wouldn't have bothered getting him a job. I mean what do you think of him personally?" Arya seemed even more surprised by this little speech and leant forward, balancing her weight on her arms.

"Well, he seems a nice enough kid. Naive but nice. He's not arrogant and he seems willing to learn." She replied, clearly puzzled. "Why?" Saphira frowned, and seemed to hesitate, as if there was a conflict going on inside her head.

"No reason." She responded finally. "He's my closest friend and I want him to be able to get along with my other close friends." Arya wasn't totally convinced by Saphira's response but she let it slide.

"I was thinking of taking Eragon for a drink tonight after work, you up for it?" Saphira asked suddenly. Arya hesitated before nodding.

"Sure, why not." Saphira smiled and stood up.

"Cool, I'll text you later." She said over her shoulder as she left the office.

Saphira got back to her office and paced up and down, a frown etched on her usually smiling face. For two weeks she had been observing Eragon as he got to grips with his new job, more specifically his continuing infatuation with Arya. Saphira had hoped that it would wear off after a couple of days, Arya's unresponsive attitude to all men usually deterred most possible suitors. But Eragon seemed to still be as amoured as he had been on the first day, Saphira had noted with growing concern the way that Eragon watched Arya, the doting admiration in his eyes. She had also noted the way he hung on to every word she said to him, however small and seemed to treat it as if it was some precious gift.

Saphira had gone to Arya's office with the original aim of confronting her about the feelings that Eragon had for her, but once she had started talking to Arya she had been reluctant to broach the subject of Eragon's feelings. It seemed that Arya had no knowledge of his affections and Saphira was happy to keep it that way, knowing Eragon as well as she did se knew it was unlikely that he would make a move if she was unaware of his infatuation.

Sighing Saphira slumped down in her chair, but better to have the two of them being friends than not, hence the reason for the drink that night. Arya seemed to hold most of the male world in contempt, she didn't have many male friends, so the fact that she spoke to Eragon at all was surprising. Saphira was lucky to be counted as one of Arya's closest friends, perhaps her closest, and as such she was privy to information that privileged few had. Arya was by far the most complicated person that Saphira knew and she constantly found herself being challenged by her. Her mind worked in a completely different way to all the other people Saphira knew and it was refreshing.

Eragon closed his eyes and tipping his head back allowed the hot water of the shower to bounce off his face. Heaving a sigh he tried to relax and enjoy the sensation of water against his skin, running a hand through his hair he exhaled deeply, concentrating on the action of breathing and how his chest contracted. He had often scorned at the boys around him who seemed unable to control their sexual desires, but now he could totally empathise them, never before had he ever felt this amount of pent up sexual energy.

"Fuck." He muttered. Not only did he have all the saved him sexual tension but he was exhausted. The first two weeks of work had been such a different experience that it had sapped all of his energy, both physically and mentally. The idea of a drink and a chance to unwind was something look forward to, Saphira had also mentioned to him that afternoon in a very off hand manner that Arya might make an appearance, hence why Eragon was now in the shower. He didn't want to get his hopes up to much just in case she didn't turn up. But the idea that he could possibly see her outside of work made Eragon feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It was a reaction that Eragon was not used to and not one that he was sure he fully understood. He had no idea how much older Arya was than him, was she single? If she was, was she looking for someone? Was he the type of person she might be looking for? Eragon's brain was awash with hundreds of questions, each one causing him to get more and more tense.

Before h e could allow his thoughts to get too far way from him he snapped himself back to the real world. He shut off the shower and wrapping a towel around his waist hopped across the cold tiles of the bathroom, wincing as he did. In his room he crossed immediately to his chest of drawers, once again he ended up in a pair of trousers and no shirt, his hair dripping. Scowling he closed his eyes and made a random stab at his clothes, opening his eyes he found his finder pointed at a baby blue shirt. Smiling he picked it up and surveyed it, pulling out a straight thin black tie he slipped them on and looked at himself in the mirror. Happy with what he saw he turned his attention to his unruly hair. First he tried running a hand through it in an attempt to try and flatten it into some sort of nice style. This failed. With a frustrated huff he stomped over to his desk and snatched a towel and his hairbrush off his desk. Back in from of the mirror he started to vigorously rub his hair, when he had it reasonably dry he tossed the towel over his shoulder and began to tackle his hair with the hairbrush. It was frustrating work, every time he thought that he'd finally tamed some of the curls they bounced back out, as if mocking him.

After five minutes Eragon had won the battle and had a semi-passable hair style. He was still stood grinning at his reflection when there was a knock on the door, Eragon grunted and the door opened, Saphira's head poked round the door.

"You ready?" she asked, Eragon nodded and noticed in the reflection a frown grace her features as she came fully into the room. "It's only a drink out. You don't need to get all dressed up!" Eragon turned and gave her a grin.

"Well I don't wanna go out looking like a tramp!" he smiled. Saphira rolled her eyes.

"You're such a woman Eragon." She grumbled.

XXXXXX

The music pumped loudly and the lights flashed, almost dazzling him. Eragon looked around, trying hard not to let his jaw drop. Never in his life had he ever been to a place like this. From the outside it had looked like an old warehouse, but once inside this vision was transformed, the main room was about the size of several offices and all open plan, a higher level was included and elegant silver staircases provided access to it. The bar was stretched along one of the back walls, neon lights placed all along the underside of the edge of the bar gave it an almost supernatural glow. There was a large space in the middle for dancing and tables were dotted near the bar and on the fringes of the dance floor. When Saphira had mention that they were going out for a drink he had assumed it would be at a pub. But Saphira had brought him to one of the most prestigious clubs in town, Eragon should have realised that a night out with Saphira would be anything but mediocre.

Saphira swiped the first round of drinks off the bar and carried them over to the table Eragon had got them. Leaning over Eragon grasped the neck of the bottle of beer and took a large swig, draining a third of the bottle in one go. Saphira raised her eyebrows.

"Thirsty?"

"Something like that." Eragon smiled, not willing to admit that he was really nervous about the arrival of Arya. That was if she was even coming. Saphira was watching the people around them, casting her eyes over a couple of young men standing near their table eyeing her up appreciatively. She didn't appear to be interested in them but every time she glanced their way they raised their eyebrows suggestively. Once of the men looked to his left, his eyes widening slightly, elbowing his friend they both turned their attention to the left. Both let out shrill wolf whistles as a slender female glided past them. Eragon's eyes widened as well as he realized that the slender beauty was Arya. She had come.

Arya slid gracefully into the chair next to Eragon, carefully avoiding the eyes of the men who were still openly ogling her. The way she seemed to be able to disregard any male attention suggested she was used to seeing off or ignoring most of the male population. Saphira was ignoring the men as well.

"So you decided to come then?" she grinned. Arya shrugged.

"Does me good to get out and about every once in a while." She said. "Besides, I can never resist your puppy dog eyes Saphira!" this time when she spoke she allowed a smile to break through. A proper smile, it was the first time Eragon had seen her smile like this and he realized it was probably a rare event. It wasn't guarded or forced and as a result completely transformed her face, lighting it up, her eyes sparkled alongside it and Eragon found himself smiling as well.

It was then that Arya stood up, presumably to get a drink, she noticed the men were still loitering around near their table. Sighing Arya turned her gaze back to Saphira and raised her eyebrows, Saphira seemed to read something that Eragon couldn't decipher and smiled. Arya smirked once before composing her face and turning her attention back to the young men.

"Can I help you with something?" she asked. The two men seemed to fall over themselves to answer her.

"Depends on whether _we _can help _you_?" one of them answered in what he must have considered to be a seductive tone. Arya arched an eyebrow and casually crossed her arms across her chest.

"I very much doubt that." She said sceptically."

"You never know baby! I could be the one to fucking rock your world!" obviously feeling bold the young man stepped forward, placing his hand casually on Arya's hip and moving his face close to hers. Immediately Eragon felt jealousy begin to boil in his stomach and he fought hard to control it. Arya didn't seem to react but Eragon noticed out of the corner of his eye a smirk appear on Saphira's face, realising that once again she must have read a small sign that he had not noticed. Leaning to one side he nudged Saphira.

"What?" Saphira's smirk widened.

"That was a bad move." She responded. "Just watch." Eragon turned his attention back to the action, eager to see how it panned out.

"Listen." Arya was speaking again, deftly moving back from the invasive hand on her hip. "Once you've hit puberty, maybe then you can start to think about 'rocking' someone's world, but I can assure you, it _won't_ be mine!" pushing past them she headed for the bar. The young men looked crushed and glanced hopefully at Saphira who snorted.

"Run along, little boys." She shooed them away with a flick of her hand.

Eragon took the opportunity now to study Arya properly for the first time since she had arrived that evening. The outfit she wore was a much more relaxed one from the daily office wear he saw her in. she was wearing a pair of skinny black jeans that hugged her legs and hips perfectly, accompanying that was a black strappy top, not too dressy but not casual either, a shiny tie and plimsolls completed the outfit and to Eragon she looked beautiful. There was enough skin on show to make Eragon's mouth go dry, her delicate shoulders that he ached to run his hands over and down her arms, but there was enough covered up to keep him wanting more…a _lot _more.

Arya returned with a tray of drinks, she handed Eragon a beer across the table.

"I didn't know what you liked so I had to guess."

"It's fine." Eragon replied quickly, knowing full well it could be muddy water and he'd still drink it for the simple reason that it was her who had given it to him. Taking a swig he looked around to give his eyes something to do, rather than just look at Arya. All around him were women, beautiful women. It was a warm night and so there was a lot of skin on show, near them was a beautiful brunette with curled brown hair that was pulled back into a ponytail, her fringe was streaked with a line of pink that caught the flashing lights every few seconds. She was wearing jeans, black and skinny and a t-shirt that was cut off exposing her toned stomach. Her eyes were a dark chocolate brown and Eragon raised his eyebrows appreciatively, had he not liked Arya so much this was defiantly someone he would pursue. Bringing his gaze back full circle he realised that both Saphira and Arya were watching him, both wearing amused expressions.

"Enjoying the view?" Saphira asked. Eragon blushed again, and then realised that he spent most of his time around Arya blushing, and he wanted it to stop. Glancing back over his shoulder he caught the brunette watching him, upon catching his gaze she gave him a sly wink and a sexy smirk.

"So what if I am?!" he challenged Saphira turning back. "I'm a young healthy male and yes I may be looking for women, and they may be looking for me." Saphira looked surprised and Eragon smirked. Their exchange was interrupted by a loud peal of laughter from the other side of the table. Eragon glanced to his right and realised with surprise that it was Arya laughing. Eragon was convinced he would never hear a sweeter sound.

"Finally! You grew some balls, I was starting to worry you were going to just be a giant pushover. It's time someone stood up to Saphira apart from me!" she chuckled ignoring Saphira's playful glare. Eragon smiled into his beer, happy that had been he who had caused this reaction in her.

The rest of the evening seemed to fly by. Eragon continued drinking and as a result was pretty drunk. The world was beginning to spin a bit and Eragon had to keep blinking rapidly to jeep his eyes focused. There were moments when he felt as if he were floating in a dream world, and it became hard for him to get a grip on reality. He imagined he was dancing, but the moves didn't seem to be his own, he was aware of Saphira dancing beside him, her light musical laugh sometimes rising above the throb of the music. The mood was infectious. And then there was Arya, and it was this that had Eragon convinced that he was dreaming, because there was no way that someone could dance that way to music and be real. It was as if she was wrapped in her own little world where she saw nothing else and she became the music, her body meeting every bar, every melody every word with precision. Soon Eragon found himself laughing and dancing once more with Saphira. Then he felt sick.

XXXXXX

Eragon slowly opened his eyes, and immediately closed them again. In the fraction of a second that his eyes had been open, a bright ray of light had dazzled him, igniting an explosion of pain behind his eyes. With a loud groan Eragon rolled over and buried his head deep into his pillow, in a vain attempt to ward off the inevitable effects of his binge drinking the night before. A pounding was building up in his temples and his stomach was churning violently. All in all he had the makings of a pretty impressive hangover.

When Saphira knocked on his door an hour later he was still lying face down on his bed.

"Eragon, can I come in?" she asked tentatively. She took the muffled grunt that she received as a yes and carefully eased open the door. As careful as she was she couldn't stop the door from squeaking, causing Eragon to groan loudly as the sound was magnified and reverberated around his skull. He felt the bed move as Saphira sat down, for a moment there was silence, then she giggled.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, trying to control her amusement.

"Like an elephant is standing on my head…and jumping!" Eragon groaned, finally rolling onto his back again. He peered at her through squinted eyes.

"How come you're fine?!" he demanded hotly. Saphira smirked.

"Because I, unlike you know how to handle my drink."

"How bad was I?" Eragon asked, not really sure he wanted to know the answer. Saphira's grin widened and Eragon's heart dropped a little.

"You were…amusing." She replied carefully. Eragon raised his eyebrows. "Arya said that, not me!" Saphira defended herself. With a loud groan Eragon buried his head back in the relative safety of his pillow.

"Please, please tell me I didn't make a complete ass out of myself?!" he begged. Saphira grinned.

"Maybe just a leetttlllee." She said, positioning her forefinger a couple of millimetres away from her thumb. Eragon huffed and threw and arm over his face, shaking his head as if doing so would get rid of all of his embarrassment.

"She seemed to find it quite endearing though." Saphira offered. "You kept her very amused all night."

"Was she drunk?" Eragon asked hopefully, maybe if she'd been drunk she too would wake up with no memory of the night before. His face fell once more as he took note of Saphira once again shaking her head, this time not even bothering to conceal her mirth.

"Oh God!"

Luckily for Eragon he had the whole weekend to get over his embarrassment, however this did not deter Saphira poking fun at his antics over the two days. Eragon soon learned to blot out the incessant quotes, the laughing and the really bad impressions of his drunken dancing. Usually when Eragon ignored someone they got bored and moved onto something else. But Saphira was not most people, and as a result she was relentless.

"Drink?" she asked on Saturday night as Eragon was sat in front of the TV.

"Nope." He replied, keeping his eyes fixed firmly on the TV. Saphira swung the bottle of beer she had been holding slowly back and forth in front of his eyes. Eragon casually swatted it away. Saphira giggled and did it again.

"Quit it." Eragon muttered. A second later his view of the TV was distorted by a green haze. This time Saphira didn't remove the bottle or sway it, but left it hanging in front of him. Eragon leant his head back until he could see her.

"Please move the bottle." He politely told her. Saphira pretended to think about.

"Nope!" she smirked. Eragon swivelled in his chair.

"I swear to God if you don't move that bottle there's going to be trouble." Saphira quirked an eyebrow.

"Sure." She scoffed. Eragon grinned and scrambling over the back of the chair grabbed Saphira round the waist, surprised by the move Saphira fell back. The bottle of beer slipped from her hand and rolled across the wooden floor. Her surprise lasted little more than a second before she twisted her body out of his grasp, with a loud shout of laughter she pinned him beneath of her left knee. Eragon let out a groan and brought the hand that wasn't trapped under his body to cup one of his yes. Saphira giggled.

"Trouble?" she asked again.

"I've hurt my eye." Eragon whimpered. Saphira frowned and leant forward.

"Did I hit you in the eye?" she asked, concern colouring her voice. Eragon shook his head.

"I…hit it…on the chair." He replied quietly. Saphira couldn't help the laugh that slipped from her mouth.

"You're an idiot. Go and get some ice!"

Despite using ice Eragon still arrived at work on Monday with a lovely ring of deep black and purple bruising around his eye. He had managed to hit his eye on the only part of wood protruding from an otherwise soft material chair. Saphira had only just stopped erupting in fits of giggled whenever she looked at him. Eragon knew she wouldn't let him live this down and just prayed that the people at work would be more forgiving…but he doubted it.

Keeping his face angled to the floor to avoid looking at people he made his way swiftly through the building on the various assignments Saphira sent him on, there seemed to be more than usual making him wonder if Saphira was just trying to embarrass him as much as she could. He wouldn't put it past her. All the while in the back of his mind he was prayed that he wouldn't be placed into any uncomfortable situations.

Unfortunately for Eragon the fates were not smiling on him that day, he was hurrying along a fourth floor corridor to the lift, trying to catch it before the doors closed so he could get back up to the safety of his desk, when he crashed into someone coming the other way. The first thing he saw was a pair of shoes that he thought looked very familiar, then as he stumbled a pair strong hands grasped his upper arms, keeping him firmly in place. Praying that the shoes belonged to someone else he slowly raised his head, his heart sinking when he finally found his yes come into contact with emerald ones. '_Of course it's her_' Eragon thought sourly. Arya was observing him with her trademark arched eyebrow, as she took in his face fully this turned into two raised eyebrows and a flash of surprise coloured her eyes.

"Wow." She gave a low whistle. "I don't remember you having that last week." Eragon shook his head as she released his arms and took a step back.

"No it's new." He replied. '_Please, please, please! Don't ask me how I got it!_' he pleaded internally. Thankfully he was save that particular strain of embarrassment, Arya tilted her head to the left, her right hand rose in a seemingly unconscious motion. Eragon's eyes followed it as it made its slow ascent to wards his face, her fingers gingerly brushed against the bruised flesh in a way that could almost be described as tender. Her fingers were cool and immediately soothed the pain, Eragon swallowed and tried to control the torrent of emotions that swirled like a maelstrom in his stomach. Unconsciously he leaned in her hand and a soft sigh left his lips. The elevator doors had long since closed but he didn't care, the only thing he cared about was the tips of her fingers ghosting over his skin.

Quickly as it had arrived the touch was gone, glancing at Arya Eragon saw a strange flash of emotions playing across her face, confusion and what looked like _guilt_ raged in her eyes for a second before they were replaced by her usual blank mask. Without a word she turned and strode away quickly, leaving Eragon standing alone, the ghost of her fingertips still lingering.

Arya made sure she was in her office before she allowed herself to think about what had just transpired. What she had just done was incredibly stupid, but yet he had looked so innocent and hurt standing in front of her that she hadn't been able to stop herself reaching out and touching his face. Arya wasn't blind, she was very aware of how Eragon felt, it was written in his eyes every time she looked at him, Arya had become a master of reading people and his eyes were a proverbial playground of emotions for her to read. She had never even remotely acknowledged his feelings in any way to anyone, because to acknowledge them meant she would have to deal with them. That was how she got by, she ignored things she didn't want to know about, if she didn't think about them then the problems weren't there. She had learnt her lesson from last time.

"Stupid, stupid!" she muttered to herself darkly.

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**Please leave me some reviews, as they make me smile and everyone likes a smiling writer! :)**

**Pirate-x-Girls  
**


	5. Chapter 4

**I am very, very sorry it's taken this long to update this story**. **But I have a chapter for you finally. It's not as long as other's have been but I hope it's good enough, it's a more Arya focused chapter and we find out a bit more about her. But please do enjoy it and I'll try and start work on chapter 5 but I do have two other stories that are demanding my attention so it might be a couple to a few weeks before the next update, but not a couple of months like this time. **

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**Chapter 4**

Eragon's black eye faded, but the memory of Arya's touch did not. Like a ghost it lingered on his skin, not that he minded. What did trouble him was her reaction to her action. The emotions he had seen passing through her eyes as she had removed her hand were baffling. He had expected to see surprise, but not the glimpse of confusion that had accompanied it. It had looked almost like Arya was having an inner conflict with herself; quite which part of that argument had won Eragon couldn't say. But something had happened there, he could feel it. Something was different.

Arya opened her door wearily, closing it carefully she made her way sluggishly to the couch and flopped down on the cushions with a heavy sigh. Rubbing her eyes she stared blankly at the ceiling. The last two weeks had been two of the longest of her life. Not only had her work load at least doubled, causing her to spend more time at the office, going and redoing things that should have been checked by other people, but for those 14 days she had been haunted by her actions with Eragon that day. Arya had worked long and hard to build up and maintain the reputation she had within Varden. To the women she was seen as an inspiration, the perfect example of a woman who didn't need a man to be successful. To the men she was a no go zone, there was no point in them even trying. No one had ever managed to crack through her touch exterior.

Except one.

Eragon was something new and completely different to anyone who had passed through Varden. He was young for starters, very young. Arya had dealt with her fair share of young men and boys who'd been enticed by her looks and the mystery that surrounded her. She was young herself, at 24 she was still young enough to be considered by many naïve, but she was anything but naïve. Arya had had her fair share of hassle and heartache, and it was these experiences that had hardened her and made her wary.

There was something about Eragon though, something that she could not quite put her finger one. Arya prided herself on being able to read people very well, but Eragon had a quality that the others didn't possess. She of course knew that he was attracted to her; it showed in his eyes every time he looked at her, even though he tried to conceal it, and although she had made it quite clear that she did not encourage male advances that didn't seem to have put him off. It wasn't that he made outward advances on her, she would have definitely had to put him in his place had he done so, it was that his affections did not seem to have diminished at all, despite her temperament. Arya could not well call him out on doing nothing; even she knew that was unfair.

Running a hand through her hair Arya sighed heavily, she was by default a loner, it had always been that way and she had no desire for change. In her experience she had learnt it was better to depend on no one but herself unless absolutely necessary. The lesson had been hard learned and it would not be one that she would forget.

Perhaps the one person exempt from this reasoning was Saphira, she was Arya's closest friend and someone who she placed trust in. Arya found it oddly refreshing to be around Saphira, they were polar opposites and Arya loved it. Saphira had a sunny outlook on life that Arya secretly envied, she wondered what it would be like to not be suspicious of nearly everyone around her. Saphira for her part as well worked to try and stop Arya from retreating to far into herself. Taking her out and making her engage with other humans. Arya could still remember the first time she had met Saphira; it had been a year and a half ago.

_18 months beforehand. _

"_But I don't need a partner!" she protested vehemently. Ajihad didn't stop walking but did swing his gaze to look at the irate woman beside him. _

"_Arya I know you think you don't, but since the expansion six months ago the workload for everyone has gone up ten fold. You're not the only one who's' going to have to head up a department with a partner." He told her seriously. Gritting her teeth she followed her boss down the corridor. _

"_I'm quite capable of handling things like that by myself." She tried again. Ajihad came to a stop by one of the board room doors and turned to face her. _

"_I don't doubt your ability Arya, in the 3 years you've been with us you've always worked hard and done everything that has been asked of you. But there comes a time in everyone's career when they have to make concessions." Seeing her about to open her mouth to argue he held up a hand. "I know you prefer to work alone, and I'm not one to question your personal life but perhaps it's time you started to integrate yourself with other people." Arya frowned; it was not often that Ajihad made comments about her personal life. Everyone knew that she was private person and few sought to question her about things she did outside of work. _

"_Who is it you've got to work with me?" she asked, in an effort to change the subject and direct it away from her personal life. Ajihad consulted a piece of paper. _

"_Her name's Saphira Howl. We recruited her from the scholarship programme we run at the local business course at the university. She's only 21, but showed a lot of promise and we think is more than capable of performing the tasks that she'll be faced with working for you." He offered her the piece of paper, taking it she scanned the information written on it. She couldn't help but be impressed by what she saw; this Saphira had passed almost every test that had been set for her with high marks. Arya was also relieved she was a woman, she didn't like working closely with men. It put her on edge and uncomfortable. _

"_It looks good on paper." She said carefully looking up at Ajihad, "But you and I both know that doesn't always translate into what a person is actually like." Ajihad smiled. _

"_I knew you'd say that, which is why you get to meet her before anything is made official. She practically has the job but we've told her that this is the final kind of interview." He leaned forward. "Try and be nice please, we like this one and would really like to have her before someone else snaps her up." Arya nodded. _

"_I'll do my best." She replied, smiling. Ajihad placed a hand on her shoulder in thanks, before turning back to the door. Pushing it open he made his way into the room, followed by Arya. The large table in the middle of the room had only one occupant. A young woman was sat at the far end of the table. She had short spiky brown hair that stuck out in all directions. Piercing sapphire eyes set in a thin pretty face. She looked smart in a white blouse and black trousers. Arya searched her face for a hint of nervousness, but instead found a warm smile. As first impressions went Arya was impressed. _

"_Saphira, this is Arya. She'll be your partner and the person you work closest with. She's the head of the Aid and Development department and has done a spectacular job in organising aid and help for developing and war torn countries all over the world." Ajihad was saying, pride tingeing his tone. Saphira stood up and moved round the table. _

"_It's lovely to meet you Arya, I've read all about your work and seen some of the paperwork and I'm really excited at the prospect of working with you." She said extending a hand and smiling warmly. Arya reached out and shook her hand, finding herself smiling back. _

"_Well, it's nice to meet you too. I must say the information I've read on you is quite impressive. I'd like to hear more about your proposed business model for enhancing efficiency in development business." She replied. Ajihad gestured to the seats at the table and they all sat down. _

"_Certainly." Saphira beamed. "My idea is essentially that aid is all well and good. But can we as business corporations do more to not only enhance our own profits but to help those who don't have the resources to get themselves back on track. Trade is a much more efficient way of doing this, because the rewards for both sides of the transactions are substantial." She paused, allowing the information to register. Arya nodded, signalling that she should continue. _

"_With aid we can give developing countries the things they need to survive in the short term, medicine, food, shelter, water and the like. But we know that so many governments are corrupt that a lot of the aid we send won't get to the people who need it most, and many companies are more than happy to allow this to happen. What should be done is to allow us to trade with them. If we build an effective network of divisions and trade sources around the world, we could help those at the bottom, the farmers, the producers, and the ordinary people who receive no help from anyone else. As long as the trade is monitored and kept under control I think it has real potential to work." _

_Saphira finished speaking and watched the two people in front of her carefully. Arya was nodding with a thoughtful look on her face, Ajihad was smiling. _

"_Thank you Saphira." He said. "I just need to have a word with Arya, but we'll be back in a moment." Standing he went out of the room, Arya following close behind. As he closed the door he turned to her. "So, what did you think?" Arya glanced back at the door. _

"_I think she's great. She's smart, has an eye for business but an moral obligation as well. I can see it working." She said. The relief was evident on Ajihad's face, and she knew that he had been worried that she would have protested to Saphira and he would have been sent back to the drawing board. _

"_Excellent!" he beamed. "In that case, I'll let you give her the good news, I have a meeting with Sloan, he's been complaining about lack of resources again!" Arya chuckled. _

"_Good luck with that one!" Ajihad rolled his eyes and clapped her on the shoulder once more before leaving. _

_Arya opened the door to find Saphira sitting biting on her thumbnail. For the first time she looked nervous as Arya took the seat opposite her. _

"_You look nervous." Arya said. Saphira smiled. _

"_I am a little," she admitted. "I really want this job." Arya smiled and leant back in her chair. _

"_Well I don't think you have anything to worry about, both Ajihad and I agree that you'd be the perfect candidate for the job. I especially was impressed by your reasoning a few minutes ago and I think it'll be a pleasure to work with you." She leant over and extended her hand. "Congratulations." Saphira looked at her hand in shock for a moment before she let out a loud laugh. _

"_Really? I got the job?" Arya nodded and smiled as Saphira grasped her hand tightly. "Thank you so much!" _

"_It's no problem, I'm looking forward to working with you." Arya replied, meaning every word. _

That day had been the start of not only a great work relationship but a great friendship. Arya had found it easy to work with Saphira, they rarely disagreed on anything and if they did they were always able to find a compromise. The model Saphira had outlined in her qualifications and the final meeting with Arya and Ajihad had been implemented a month after Saphira had started working at Varden, Arya had allowed Saphira to take full charge of it, only intervening when asked. It had been a huge success and Varden's profits had increased in that area by twice as much, and they had helped restore 6 struggling economies and were working on 4 more. Arya could not have asked for a better partner, and had made a point to thank Ajihad several times for finding her.

Arya was napping on the sofa when her phone rang sharply, jerking her awake. Rubbing her eyes she reached over to the coffee table and plucked the phone from its cradle.

"Hello?"

"Arya, darling." Arya repressed a heavy sigh.

"Hello mother. How are you?"

"I'm fine thank you dear. You haven't called me for a while." Arya closed her eyes.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I've been totally swamped at work."

"Don't you have a partner to help you with that kind of thing?" her mother asked.

"Yes, but we've both had individual problems come up that require a lot of our time."

"Ah I see. So when are you next coming down to visit?" was her mother's next question, and the one Arya had been dreading.

"I don't know mother. I have a lot of work on at the moment, perhaps next month?" this was her customary answer and one that never seemed to sit well with her mother.

"Arya, I really must protest. You haven't been to see us for so long, surely you can take the weekend off and drive down to see us."

"Maybe," Arya said. It was at that moment that there was a sharp knock on the door. "Hang on Mother." Pushing herself off the sofa Arya crossed to the door, pulling it open she saw Saphira standing on the threshold, grinning and brandishing a bottle of wine. Arya had never been happier to see her.

"Sorry mother, I have to go, I have a visitor." She said, grabbing Saphira by the arm and pulling her into the apartment.

"Very well, but this discussion isn't over!" her mother warned. "Bye dear."

"Bye." Arya gabbled, quickly hanging up the phone. "Saphira thank god! Err, why are you here?" Saphira grinned again.

"I've brought wine, corny movies and well that's it. We're going to destress." Arya smiled, and then peered around Saphira.

"Where's Eragon?"

"I left him at home watching cartoons." Saphira joked, Arya rolled her eyes. "No he's at home studying some business textbook. I asked if he wanted to come but he said he didn't do corny films, or wine come to think of it. Jesus he's boring!" Arya laughed at Saphira's ramblings and directed her to a sofa.

"Wine and corny films isn't to everyone's taste. It wasn't mine once upon a time." She pointed out.

"True, true." Saphira mused. "But then you met me and discovered that wine and corny films can solve just about any problem!" She stood up and went through to the kitchen; Arya could hear her rummaging around in the drawers.

"Have you hidden the corkscrew again?" Saphira called. Arya laughed.

"No...well maybe."

"Found it!" Saphira's hand appeared from the kitchen door, clutching the corkscrew. "Not good enough this time."

"One of these days I'll hide it so well you'll never find it, perhaps that'll be the day you manage to leave my flat sober!"

"Never!" Saphira laughed. "I'd just open the bottle with my teeth," plopping back down on the sofa with some glasses she popped the cork. "Now, shut up, drink your wine and watch the movie!"

3 hours, 2 films and a considerable amount of wine later and Arya was finally starting to feel the stress that had hung on her like a dead weight for the last two weeks melt away. Saphira had an uncanny talent to make her relax, and the wine had probably helped as well.

They had been chatting idly for the duration of the third film they'd put on, and somehow they had gotten onto the subject of Eragon.

"How is he finding it?" Arya asked, taking a sip of her wine. Despite her initial reservations about him, Arya had found herself caring about Eragon's wellbeing. He was a friend of Saphira's after all and she spoke of him very highly.

"I think he's really enjoying it. It's the first time he's ever been away from home for this long and I was worried he might get homesick, but he seems to be fine." Saphira said. "But I do worry that he's not really found any real friends, he has me, but I don't think he's really clicked with anyone else. Everyone else is older than him by quite a lot and he can't relate to them."

"Well, I hope he knows he can consider me as a friend." Arya said. Saphira smiled.

"I think he'd really appreciate that." She said. A shadow passed over her face and she looked like she might continue, Arya already knew what was playing on his mind.

"I know what you're thinking, and I know he's attracted to me. But don't worry; I'm not going to do anything to lead him on. I see us as friends nothing more, and I won't give him reason to believe any different." Saphira's face cleared and she nodded.

"I'd never think you would lead him on. I just worry because he's so young, I'm not sure how much experience he's had with women, but I doubt it's much. I wouldn't want him to get hurt." Arya nodded.

"I understand."

Arya shook her head and smiled as she took in the sight of Saphira passed out on her couch. Putting away the last of the empty wine bottles and switching off the TV she picked up the phone. She suspected that Saphira hadn't informed Eragon she might not be back and he might be worried. Dialling Saphira's number she looked at the clock as it rang, she saw with surprise that it was nearly 2 in the morning.

"Hello?" a hoarse voice sounded on the other end of the line.

"Eragon? It's Arya, sorry did I wake you?"

"Yeah, but it's ok." She heard him stifling a yawn and couldn't help but smile.

"I was just calling to tell you that Saphira's staying here tonight, as she's err..." she looked back at Saphira who was dangerously close to falling off the sofa. "...not in any fit state to come home."

"Ahh I see, how much did she drink?"

"Let's just say a lot." Arya chuckled, she heard Eragon laugh on the other end of the phone. "Sorry to wake you again, you can go back to sleep and I'll make sure she gets back tomorrow morning."

"Thanks Arya, see you tomorrow." The line went dead and Arya placed it back in the cradle. Making sure Saphira was not in any danger of falling onto the floor she turned out the light and made her own way to bed.

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**Hope you enjoyed that and please leave me a review letting me know what you thought :) **

**Pirate-x-Girls  
**


	6. Chapter 5

**Hey guys, I'm so so so so so sorry that this has taken as long as it has! I do have a good excuse for not writing and updating, this year I started university and have been completely swamped with new experiences and a LOT of work. Every time I thought I had some time to sit down and write something would crop up. I've also spent a lot of time visiting doctors and hospitals this year regarding a knee injury I got whilst playing rugby! But I do finally have something for you, it's not great but I think it does start to move the story along in a more recognisable direction. So again apologies for the lack of contact and I do hope you enjoy this chapter. A big thanks as well to everyone who has reviewed or added to their alerts/favourites it means a lot. ****I haven't given up on this story but I cannot promise frequent updates, I shall do my best but within the month I will be back in Scotland at uni and I am gonna be hitting the ground running but hopefully over the next few weeks I will find some time to at least write one more chapter! Thanks again for your patience! **

**A mention should go to Ordgar who relentlessly reviewed and finally did get my attention which prompted me to spend some time this week writing this! **

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**Flashes**

**Chapter 5**

Eragon met Murtagh two weeks after Saphira spent the night at Arya's. Murtagh was a courier who regularly delivered to Varden; Eragon would often meet him coming up and down in the elevators or outside Saphira's office if he had a package for her. Murtagh was a year older than Eragon, and the only real person of his age around. The two of them formed a strong friendship quickly, and Eragon would soon look forward to daily morning delivery of packages to Varden.

Murtagh was an imposing figure; a thin face was framed by dark brown hair that in some lights looked black. His eyes were a dark brown too and a lot of the time betrayed nothing, his thin wiry frame was often covered in biking leathers and he always twirled a pen in his hands when he walked through the building. Like so many other first meetings in Eragon's short time at Varden his one with Murtagh had not been a simple introduction.

Eragon had been coming out of the lift, immersed in some papers that he had clutched in his arms. Murtagh had been going into the lift, but his attention had been fixed not on where he was going but on the pretty office worker who had just passed him by. As a result the two men crashed into each other, sending papers flying everywhere. Eragon had shaken his head to clear his thoughts before turning to look at the man who had sent him flying.

"Here, let me help you with those." Murtagh had offered with a smirk. Bending down he plucked a few of the papers up off the floor. "You should look where you're going." He had commented, his smirk increasing. Eragon scowled.

"You were no better." He retorted sharply causing Murtagh to let out a short bark of laughter.

"Cool it dude, I was joking. Was as much my fault as it was yours." Handing over the last of the papers he stood back up and removed a pen from behind his ear, twirling it casually round in his hand he observed Eragon as he struggled to get all of his papers in order in his arms.

"Now that you're here you couldn't help me could you?" Murtagh asked shifting a package from under his arm so he could get a better look at the label. "I'm looking for a Saphira Howl; do you know where her office is?" Eragon smiled.

"You're in luck. Follow me."

That was the beginning of what would become a strong friendship. Eragon found Murtagh an exciting companion, he was confident and assured, but in the strong silent way. He often had large periods where he said nothing, simply sat with a dark look in his eyes. Eragon had yet to find out what triggered these mood changes, but was hesitant to ask. He knew all people had their secrets and that in time Murtagh would tell him.

When he wasn't overcome with moods Murtagh was a great friend, he took Eragon on his first proper look around the strange city, taking him to bars and pubs that he often frequented and expanding his views beyond what Eragon had learned as a farm boy. Eragon was relieved that he had found a friend in Murtagh as hanging out with solely Saphira had become a little embarrassing, especially considering her fondness for making a fool out of him. As much as he loved his best friend and roommate Eragon couldn't quite help but feel that she treated him like a child, constantly feeling that she had to look out for him and protect him. With Murtagh he felt more like the adult he thought he should be and was able to explore more adventurous sides of his personality.

Monday mornings were Eragon's least favourite morning. Over the weekend it always seemed that work would pile up on his desk, meaning that he had more to sift through than at any other time of the week. This particular Monday morning was worse than others because Eragon was hung over, he had been out drinking with Murtagh the night before and was now regretting it fiercely. A headache pounded behind his eyes as he tried to focus on the words written on the page in front of him. Reaching for his water bottle he took a small swig wincing as he felt the liquid slosh around his empty stomach. Refocusing his attention on the report in front of him he scanned through the pages, occasionally making a note in the side-lines that would help Saphira when she came to looking at the report later.

Half an hour had passed and Eragon could feel his eyelids dropping, the heating had been turned up so the room was warm and stuffy making him feel sleepy. The sound of the elevator at the end of the corridor pinging open caused his head to snap up and his eyes to open. Murtagh sauntered out of the elevator and down the corridor until he stopped in front of Eragon's small desk.

"You look rough mate." He said. Eragon rubbed his temple and nodded.

"I feel it as well, why did I let you talk me into going out?" he complained. Murtagh laughed.

"To be honest you needed very little persuading." He held up a package. "This is for your boss." Eragon took the package and checked the label.

"Cheers." He placed the package to one side and picked up the report again turning his attention away from Murtagh. Usually the older man would leave but this morning he loitered at Eragon's desk. After a few minutes of trying to ignore his friend and get on with his work Eragon looked up.

"Don't you have something to be doing, work for instance?" he asked. Murtagh placed his helmet on the ground by his feet and placed his hands on Eragon's desk.

"Nah, it's been a slow day. Only had three packages to deliver here this morning." He said.

"Ok, well some of us do have work to be doing so why don't you go and bother someone else." Eragon said, Murtagh laughed and stretched, cracking his neck in the process.

"You really don't deal with alcohol well do you?" he joked.

"Only when I'm being bothered by irritating people." Eragon responded, not looking up from his paper. Murtagh's smile broadened and he opened his mouth to retort to Eragon's comment. But before he could respond they were both distracted by the opening of the lift doors and the arrival of Arya.

Eragon's interactions with Arya had been limited since the incident with his black eye. He had however noticed a slight change in her attitude, she was still cold and distant but there was a definite change in the way she had looked at him, almost with kindness. The change was so small that had Eragon not spent so many hours obsessively studying her from a distance he would not have noticed them at all. In the last couple of weeks Arya seemed to have retreated herself, she spent even less time around the office preferring to be shut off in her office without any other interaction. This of course excluded Saphira, who was the often the only contact that Arya had with anyone else in the office. So it was a surprise to see Arya about in the office as she strode from the lift towards Saphira's office.

Murtagh eyes lit up as soon as he saw Arya, because he had been delivering for a short time to Varden and all of the packages addressed to the department went through Saphira he had not yet met her. Eragon watched his friend warily, around women Murtagh was very confident as his handsome dark good looks allowed him to get to know women very quickly, but Murtagh had never met anyone like Arya before and judging from the way she treated most men Eragon did not expect Murtagh to get anywhere. As he watched Arya walk he expected her to go straight into Saphira's office, but instead she surprised him by slowing as she reached his desk and turning her mesmerising green eyes on him.

"Good morning Eragon." She greeted him in a soft voice. For a second Eragon forgot how to speak and with a mental push forced words past his lips.

"Morning Arya, how was your weekend?" he replied, hoping that with a question she would stay and talk longer.

"It was fine thank you, and yours?" the response was rather what he had expected, short and to the point.

"It was good thank you." A silence fell after his reply; Arya drew her gaze away from Eragon and looked at Murtagh who was standing on the other side of Eragon's, his hands resting on the surface. He was grinning at her in a way that clearly displayed what was going on in his head. Arya raised an eyebrow a fraction before looking back to Eragon.

"Is Saphira in?" Eragon craned his neck back to look through the window behind his desk into Saphira's office. Through the glass he could see her sat behind her desk, her phone pressed to her ear. Her eyebrows were scrunched together and she was obviously shouting at whoever was on the other end of the phone, judging from the couple of words that Eragon could lip read whoever she was not being very polite. He looked back at Arya.

"She's in. But she's on the phone. It looks like she could be some time." Arya tilted her head to one side and peered into Saphira's office through the door. A small smile pulled at the corners of her mouth as she observed what her partner was doing.

"I'll just wait here then." She said. Eragon nodded. Arya took a couple of steps back and leant against the wall next to the office door and flipped through a file she was holding in her hands. Eragon tried to get back to his work, but couldn't help glancing at Arya out of the corner of his eye every few seconds. She seemed to have forgotten that there was anyone else in the room and remained engrossed in whatever she was reading.

It was at this time that Eragon realised that Murtagh was still in the room. He was sat in a chair across the room, one leg propped up on the other and twirling his pen round in his fingers. His gaze was moving around the room, but Eragon could see his eyes lingering on Arya, who of course remained completely indifferent to his presence.

"How long are your breaks exactly?" Eragon asked, breaking Murtagh's gaze.

"Long enough." The other man smiled. Eragon sighed heavily, but left the conversation at that.

The loud sound of the phone being slammed back into its cradle echoing from Saphira's office alerted them that she had finally finished her call. Arya straightened up and tucking her papers back into the folder walked into Saphira's office without even so much as a glance in either Murtagh or Eragon's direction. It gave Eragon small pleasure to see Murtagh's face drop slightly as Arya disappeared from sight, to those who had never experienced her coldness it could be quite disheartening. But seconds later the sly grin was back in place as he got up from his chair and crossed over to Eragon's desk again.

"Who was that?" he asked eagerly. Eragon shifted the report to a tray and leant back in his chair again.

"The other head of this department, Saphira's partner." He replied, unwilling to divulge any information.

"I don't care what she is, I want a name!" Murtagh carried on, craning his neck slightly to gaze into Saphira's office.

"Arya." Eragon revealed reluctantly, knowing that if he didn't Murtagh would not give up until he had her name. "But I really wouldn't waste your time. She's not interested." Murtagh picked him helmet up from the floor and tucked it under his arm.

"Never say never Eragon." He chuckled; throwing him a wink he turned and walked back to the lift.

"We should go out for drinks tonight." He called as stepped into the lift, Eragon opened his mouth to protest but it was too late the doors had already closed.

"Where are you going?" Saphira called from the living room as Eragon attempted to sneak out of the flat. Wincing he took his hand off the door and poked his head into the living room.

"Out." He replied.

"With who?" was Saphira's next question.

"Murtagh."

"The delivery guy?" Saphira looked up from the TV, a slight frown on her face.

"Yes." Eragon replied. "Why, is that a problem?" Saphira immediately averted her eyes.

"Nope, why would I have a problem?" she hesitated. "It's just I'm not sure he's the greatest influence." Eragon raised an eyebrow.

"And what makes you think I'm influenced by him?" he replied dryly. Saphira looked uncomfortable, something Eragon was not used to seeing on her.

"I'm not saying that, I just think…well that, you know what I'm trying to say." she fumbled.

"No I don't." Eragon sat on the arm of the sofa and crossed his arms. Saphira's frown intensified.

"Look, all I'm saying is you're young and it's your first time away from home, don't go thinking that Murtagh is the greatest person alive because of his cavalier attitude!" now it was Eragon's turn to frown.

"I've never ever thought that Murtagh is the 'greatest person alive' and his attitude has nothing to do with it. Yes I'll admit I do admire him and am a little bit envious of him sometimes but most of the time it's nice to have a friend who's my own age, a man and doesn't always treat me like I'm 5!" they both stood at the same time glaring at each other.

"I'm sorry you feel that way." Saphira said tightly, her expression and tone indicating she was anything but sorry. "But I'm only trying to look out for you, and it's a fact you are young and young people are easily influenced!" Eragon threw his hands up in the air and gave a frustrated sigh.

"You're starting to sound like Roran now! Always trying to tell me how live my life!" without waiting for Saphira's reply he turned on his heel and headed out the door, taking small satisfaction in hearing it slam behind him.

Eragon was still in a foul mood when he got off the bus and entered the pub where he had agreed to meet Murtagh. He found the older man at the back of the bar with 2 beers in front of him.

"Took the liberty of getting the drin…whoa what's up?" he said as Eragon sat heavily in the chair opposite him and grabbed a beer without a word of greeting.

"Nothing." Eragon muttered, causing Murtagh to raise an eyebrow.

"Come on mate, don't have to be a detective to sniff out you're in a bad mood!" he laughed. Eragon raised his head and nodded.

"I had a fight with Saphira." He said at last.

"Ahhhh what about?"

"Just about how she treats me." Eragon said. When he didn't elaborate Murtagh waved a hand at him to go on. "I'm not a kid anymore, and I'm tired of her seeing me like that, it's like she's trying to run my life." Murtagh shook his head and grinned.

"My dad used to say that women were the devil in disguise! One way or another they always have to be in control." Eragon looked up from his drink, this was the first time Murtagh had ever spoken about his parents, and indeed his family. Eragon was poised to ask him more when he saw Murtagh's face cloud over and a dark expression settled in his eyes, it was one that Eragon had come to realise meant that Murtagh didn't want to talk.

After a moment Murtagh's expression cleared and he gave Eragon a wide smile.

"Never mind about her eh? Let's just enjoy tonight." His smile took on a mischievous quality. "And I promise there won't be too much drink!"

10 shots, 3 pints and 2 bars later and Eragon was starting to wonder if Murtagh knew what the phrase 'too much drink' implied. He took a firmer grip of the bar he was standing at and shook his head trying in vain to stop the room from spinning. He could hear people talking around him but couldn't quite make out the words that they were saying. Suddenly a hand clamped down on his shoulder and he looked up to find Murtagh grinning at him.

"You alright buddy?" he asked, his voice sounding far away, as if he were underwater. Eragon nodded, and the movement felt sluggish. He felt sick and tried to tell Murtagh but his words came out mumbled and mixed up, but Murtagh seemed to guess what he was saying. Grasping him under the elbow he dragged Eragon outside and let him throw up violently into a nearby gutter. When he had emptied his stomach Eragon took a deep breath and wiped his mouth, already he felt a lot better and his head was clearer. He took the piece of gum Murtagh offered him with a grateful smile.

"Right, so now you're feeling better let's go." Murtagh was off before Eragon could even ask where they were going, with no choice but to follow he hurried off after his friend.

10 minutes later and Eragon had another drink in his hand, this time he was in a club, the music was loud and there were people everywhere. The vomiting had helped push some of the alcohol out of his system so he was much more alert, still drunk but more in control of what his body was doing. Raising the glass to his mouth he took a sip, wincing as it burnt the back of his throat. Reminding himself that he needed to stop drinking whatever Murtagh shoved in his hands he placed it down on the bar and turned to order something else. After a couple of moments of failed attempts to capture the barman's attention he sighed and lowered his hand.

It was at that moment that the girl at the bar next to him caught his attention. She looked very familiar and for a moment he stared at her trying to work out where he had seen her before. It was only when she realised he was looking at her and turned to face him that he realised that she had been in the club the night he had gone out with Arya and Saphira. The distinctive pink streak in her fringe was hard to forget. Eragon noticed once again how pretty she was.

"Would you like a picture?" her words snapped him out of his daze.

"What? No sorry, I didn't mean to…can I buy you a drink?" the girl seemed a little surprised but smiled and nodded. Eragon once again tried to get the barman's attention, and once again failed. Giggling the girl leant forward and raised a hand, getting an instant reaction.

"I'll get the service, you get the drinks." She winked.

The girl's name was Emily, and as the night wore on Eragon found himself first sat in a booth with her, and then as the music picked up out on the dance floor. His argument with Saphira and all the pent up frustration he felt about Arya had caused Eragon to become quite bold, so when Emily put her arms around his neck and pulled him close to dance he found his hands automatically travelling to her hips. The alcohol had also made his more talkative, so their time in the booth had been spent learning as much as they could about each other over the noise of the club. But now it seemed Emily wanted to do little talking as she moved her hips under his hands. Eragon found himself mesmerised by the movements and allowed his body to move with hers. After a couple of songs like this Emily looked up, Eragon could tell that she was going to kiss him. As she inched closer and closer Eragon let his eyes slide up her face until they locked eyes.

It was at this moment that Eragon found himself staring not into Emily's dark chocolate brown eyes, but a pair of eyes as green as emeralds. With a start he blinked several times, and they were gone, as quickly as they had arrived the green eyes had gone back to brown, which were now clouded with confusion.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Eragon took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to push the emerald green eyes from his mind. When he opened his eyes he saw Emily looking at him with thinly veiled annoyance.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled. "I think I've had too much to drink." Some of the annoyance disappeared from her eyes and her hands which had slipped from around his neck patted his chest.

"Maybe that's not such a bad thing?" she said coyly, a seductive smile crept onto her lips and she moved that little bit closer. "Let the drink do the work." She whispered next to his ear, allowing her lips to brush against his ear lobe. Eragon could not supress the shiver that ran along his spine and his hands gripped her waist tighter. Allowing all thoughts of Arya and his anger towards Saphira to leave his mind he dipped his head towards the girl in front of him.

But just before their lips made contact Eragon felt Emily being pulled out of him arms. Opening his eyes he saw Emily being spun round to face a very angry looking woman, who put her hands on her hips.

"Emily!" she shouted, barely audible over the music. "What the hell are you doing?" Emily sighed.

"Seriously Jess?"

"Yes!" the other girl responded angrily. "You promised you'd stay with me tonight, and not go off with some random guy who took your fancy!" as she was talking the girl, Jess, grabbed hold of Emily's hand and began to try and pull her away. Emily wrenched her hand out of her friend's grasp and turned back to Eragon.

"I am so sorry about this." She said. Eragon shook his head, and smiled. As he did so he caught sight of Murtagh on the other side of the club waving at him.

"It's no worries; I need to get going anyway." He replied. Emily smiled and leaning up gave him a quick kiss.

"Call me yeah?" she said. Eragon nodded vigorously as Emily allowed herself to be dragged away by Jess, shooting Eragon one last smile before she disappeared into the crowd.

"Wow mate! You totally scored there!" Murtagh crowed as Eragon pushed his way through the people towards him.

"What? Nah, we were just talking." He shrugged.

"Looked like more than just talking." Murtagh grinned clinking his glass against the one he had just handed Eragon.

"I don't think I can have any more drink." Eragon tried to protest, but Murtagh just shot him one of his devilish smiles.

"I can tell you now, you've NOT had too much to drink!" he grinned until Eragon had downed the drink in his hand.

The door squeaked loudly as Eragon inched it open, leaning heavily on the frame he peered into the flat. All the lights were off and the flat was quiet; heaving a small sigh of relief Eragon slid in and closed the door as softly as he could behind him. He had no desire to confront Saphira after what had happened earlier on in the evening. As softly as he could he padded towards his room, once he was in he closed the door and slumped against it. There was still a substantial amount of alcohol in his system and now he had finally stopped moving his head had pound and the room was starting to spin. With a soft groan he pulled himself over to the bed and flopped down on the bed covers, turning onto his back he stared almost unseeing at the ceiling. Flashes from his evening were running through his mind, Emily's smile, her dancing, her laugh…..Arya's eyes in Emily's face. The last one was something Eragon wished he could forget, but the more he tried to not think about it, the more it ran through his mind and became a bigger and bigger problem. Eragon did not like the way Arya seemed to rule certain areas of his life, without actually having any physical input, and there was no way he could talk to Saphira about it because he knew exactly what her response would be, especially considering their fight earlier that evening.

Emily however provided a more pleasant way of thinking. Eragon had enjoyed the brunette's company and found her to be funny and smart. She was also a welcome distraction from his feelings for Arya and also she was a much more attainable goal, mainly for the reason that she seemed to be interested in him. But Eragon could not help but let his mind drift back to Arya, despite his best efforts to keep thinking about Emily her face would morph into Arya's, with the brown eyes become green, the tanned skin paled and the face thinned and developed high angular cheekbones and the brown hair darkened. Opening his eyes Eragon covered his eyes with the palms of his hands and let out a soft groan.

"Get a grip." He muttered into the darkness.

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**Hope you guys all enjoyed that and as always leave a review and let me know what you thought! :) **

**Pirate-x-Girls **


	7. Chapter 6

**Hey guys, once again I'm so sorry that it has taken this long to get a new chapter up. It's been in a developmental stage for ages and this week I finally sat down and finished after finishing a particularly nasty essay today. I hope you enjoy this, there's a bit of plot development and hopefully it's moving a direction you all like. Well enough from me I'll let you get on and read it. Enjoy!**

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**Flashes**

**Chapter 6**

Arya cut the engine to her car with a sigh and stared at the large house in front of her with mild disdain. For a moment she remained motionless in the car, unwilling to get out. Only when the front door opened did she finally get out of the car. Closing the door she stuffed her hands in her pockets and made her way up to the house. As she got closer the woman standing on the porch gave a big smile.

"Arya darling!" she beamed.

"Hello mother." Arya replied despondently, stepping up she allowed her mother to give her a brief hug, after a couple of seconds Arya broke the contact and stepped back.

"How are you darling?" her mother asked as she guided her into the house.

"About average." Arya replied distractedly as she gazed around the hallway of the house she had grown up in.

"Average, what does average mean? Are you ok?" her mother pressed, Arya slipped off her jacket and hung it up on the pegs avoiding the question.

"Arya?" Her mother asked. Arya sighed and turned to face her.

"I'm fine mother! It's just the usual stresses of work." She said in an attempt to placate her mother.

"Are you sure you're not working too hard?" Obviously it hadn't worked.

"Well the hours are long and the work load is tough but I knew that when I signed up for the job." Arya said as she settled into an armchair. Her mother sat on the sofa opposite, watching her with concern.

They sat in silence for a few moments; Arya allowed her eyes to wander around the room. The mantelpiece was filled with pictures; many were of her mother and her late father. They were relatively few of Arya as a child, but there were more of her as she had got older, at her graduation and Christmas, in many of them she was with a young man, handsome and tall.

"It's the anniversary of your father's death next month." Her mother said eventually, Arya nodded. "Do you think you'll be able to make it?"

"I'll try my best, but it will all depend on work. We're starting negotiations with another big corporation so I'll be very busy." Arya replied, she saw her mother's expression fall and felt a twinge of guilt. Standing up she crossed to the mantelpiece and picked up one of the photos.

"I can't believe it's been 4 years already." She said. Her mother nodded sadly.

"He talked about you often in the months before." She said. For the second time in as many minutes Arya felt a twinge of guilt, she had loved her father dearly but she had been absent in the months before he had died. Her strained relationship with her mother had meant that she had often avoided going home, as every time she did it would invariably descend into an argument that would seem to only upset her father and cause tension. His death had made their relationship slightly better but there was still a lot to work on. It had taken a lot of phone calls and pleading to get Arya to come visit. Placing the photo back on the mantelpiece she settled back down.

It wasn't until after dinner that her mother brought up the one subject that she had been dreading.

"So have you been coping since...his passing?" Arya kept her eyes on the drink in front of her.

"I've been fine." She muttered, she could feel her mother's sceptical gaze on her.

"It's ok to grieve Arya, no one expects you to have handled it completely, and you can talk about it if you want."

"There's nothing to talk about! He died." Arya shifted in her seat.

"Exactly I would imagine that in itself that's enough to talk about."

"I don't want to talk about Fäolin!" Arya snapped back. "I don't want to talk about it and I don't want to keep being reminded of it either." She gestured to all the photos of her and Fäolin in the room.

"You loved him! You were going to marry him; he was like family to all of us!" Arya stood up.

"I should be going." She said stiffly.

"Arya please!" her mother said exasperatedly as Arya headed for the door. "You can't keep running from this!" Arya wrenched the door open, and turned angrily.

"I'm not running! Just because I don't openly display my emotions for the rest of the world to see doesn't mean that I'm not dealing with it!" without waiting for a reply she stormed out of the house. Slumping angrily into her car she slammed the door and started the engine and backed out of the drive without a second glance back. As the car sped off her mother watched from the porch, a great sadness in her eyes.

Fäolin had been her fiancé, more than that he had been her best friend; they had known each other since they had been small children. They had gone through school together and started dating when they were 16. She had loved him more than anything and had been prepared to spend the rest of her life with him. Her parents had loved him, her friends had loved him. He had seemed to be the perfect man for her, handsome, gentle, kind, funny, and looked set to become a high flyer in the banking world. He had proposed to her at Christmas, in front of her entire family with the exception of her father who had already passed away. Her mother had been delighted at the match and had insisted on a summer wedding. Eager to do things properly Fäolin and Arya managed to stall her until the year after to give ample time to plan.

Unfortunately he had died in the spring before wedding. An evening out that had turned disastrous, a bar disagreement that had had got out of hand. Fäolin had been stabbed by a broken bottle; Arya had gone with him to the hospital and watched the life leave him. That had been two years ago, Arya had in her own way moved on and was living her life, but her mother was not so sure. Before Fäolin's death she had mostly left Arya to herself, preferring to get information about her life from Fäolin who she spoke to more often. But since he had died her mother had been adamant that she speak to Arya as much as possible and have her over to visit. Arya knew that her mother was lonely and trying to make up for lost time. But for Arya, there was a distance between her and her mother that was not easily overcome. Especially with her mother's devotion to the memory of her dead fiancé, in her mother's eyes Fäolin could do no wrong and a small part of Arya wondered if Fäolin was the child that Arya could never have been to her, and for that a small part of her resented her mother.

Her mother had not been the only one to hold a torch for Fäolin, everyone they knew thought that Fäolin was amazing, he could do no wrong in their eyes and believed Arya was lucky to have him. The problem was, Arya knew something that they all didn't, something that still loomed over her life like a permanent storm cloud.

Fäolin had not been the angel that everyone had believed him to be. To start off with he had been incredibly sweet, an amazing friend and an even better lover. They had been the best of friends and when they had got together it had seemed like a dream come true, and for the first couple of years it had been. She had immersed herself in the romantic lifestyle, dinner, the movies, romantic walks. Even a holiday to Paris. They had gone to university together and not spent more than a week apart for almost three years. They were the kind of couple that everyone envied, it seemed almost effortless for them. But just beneath the surface of this perfect relationship was a raging inferno of anger and problems. What a lot of people didn't realise was that Fäolin had a nasty temper, one that seemed to be dependent on company, when there were other people around he was the perfect gentlemen, polite, caring and attentive to her needs and those of the people around them. But behind closed door his temper was short and violent. It didn't emerge until they had moved in together, but manifested in small ways. A shout here, a glass thrown against the wall in anger, they became more frequent and more violent. Then the physical violence had started, grabbing her wrists if she disagreed with him, pushing her into a wall to intimidate her, a slap if he thought she was getting out of line. He was careful to never leave the bruises in a place that would show and alert the people they knew to what was going. At first she had taken it on the chin, giving as good as she got, if he pushed her she pushed him back, if he shouted at her she would shout back. Arya was not someone who was easily pushed around. But as the violence got stronger and the punches started she found herself afraid, scared that he would really hurt her one day, so she quietened down started to read his moods carefully and notice things that would set him off.

There were times when she wanted to tell her family what was going on, but Fäolin had always found a way to stop her. He had grovelled, he'd cried, he'd pleaded, he'd even threatened and every time she relented. Back then she had been naive to trust that he would change, but she had loved him and the idea of crawling back to her mother for help was something she could not do, in her eyes Arya knew her mother would be disappointed, and if there was one thing that Arya could not stand, it was the idea of being a failure. So she stayed with him, and kept up the pretence of a happy couple, ready to be married and spend the rest of their lives together.

The worst part of Fäolin's abuse however did not come until the final months before his death, as well as having a short temper he was also a lousy drunk. There would be nights he would come home and force himself on her; it was after these incidents that she shut down emotionally. It was if she had been broken, she had tried to stop him but in the end he would always win, and there was no escape from the nightmare that she had descended into. In those months before he died Arya resigned herself to the fact that this was to be her life, even though stupidly a part of her still loved him and believed that one day he would be the man that she had fallen in love with.

Fäolin's alcohol problem would eventually be the cause of his death. On one of their rare nights out Fäolin had had a couple too many, he'd taken offence to the way one of the men at the bar looked at him and lashed out. Unfortunately for Fäolin he had found someone who handled drink worse than he did. After a scuffle the other man broke a bottle on the bar and stabbed Fäolin twice, once and the stomach and in the chest. An ambulance was called and Fäolin was taken to the hospital, Arya sat by his bed and watched as the doctors tried to save him, unfortunately they were unable to stop his wounds from taking a toll and he slipped away. She had grieved of course, gone was her childhood friend and the man who had been her lover and best friend, but part of Arya knew that the childhood friend had been gone for a long time. She would of course have the memories of the good times that they had shared over the years, the games, laughter and the innocence of being in love. But there were many bad memories as well, of fear, loathing and desperation. Arya was known by many as hard skinned, seemingly impervious to the troubles of emotion, but she had not always been that way, it had been Fäolin's doing that had hardened her, made her mistrust men, and close her heart off.

Arya opened her door and chucked her keys on the table in the hall. Sliding her jacket off her shoulders she sank down on the sofa with a heavy sigh, glancing over at her answering machine she noted the red light blinking. Without leaving the sofa she leant over and slapped the play button.

"Arya!" Saphira's voice sounded through the speaker. "When you get this, call me! I need a drink!" Arya looked at her watch, she had been planning to relax and spend the evening on her own, but she could never pass up an opportunity to socialise with Saphira. Even if she shunned the rest of the world socially she could never let her partner down.

Half an hour later and Arya was sat in a pub with a glass of wine in front of her, Saphira was running late, as usual and Arya took a small sip of her drink as she waited. The pub was about half full, mainly young men out for a night with their friends. Some of them were eyeing her up appreciatively, but she ignored them and focused on her drink. Out of the corner of her eye she saw one of the men who had been drinking at the bar push away from the bar and start to move towards her, she didn't look his way and hoped that he would leave her alone. No such luck. With a cocky smile he slid into the chair opposite.

"Hey there gorgeous." He grinned. Arya ignored him, taking a sip of her drink she looked round the bar, anywhere but at him.

"Hey," the guy tried again. "Can I buy you a drink?" Arya ignored him again. The guy reached over and touched her hand, Arya's eyes snapped to him and she yanked her hand away from him.

"No." She said pointedly. The guy gave her a surprised look.

"Come on, I'm just trying to be nice!" he reached out for her hand again." Let me buy you a drink." Again Arya pulled her hand away.

"I said no." Her voice took on a dangerous low tone that he couldn't fail to miss. He opened his mouth once more.

"Do we have a problem here?" another voice sounded from beside the table. Both Arya and the man looked up to find Saphira watching them. She smiled at Arya, but this expression dropped when she looked at the man, ice in her eyes. "I'll say again, do we have a problem?" the guy stood up.

"No." He muttered, walking away he shot Arya a look over his shoulder. Arya nodded her thanks to Saphira as her friend sat down, Arya pushed the beer she had bought Saphira over the table and smiled as Saphira gulped down half the bottle in one go.

"Rough day?" Arya asked, arching a casual eyebrow, Saphira nodded taking another large gulp of her drink.

"Like you wouldn't believe!" she muttered. "Have spent my entire day off in the office trying to sort out Todd's mess with finances! I spent 2 hours going over the budgets with Ajihad and it' still not making sense. They accounts are fine when they leave Varden but something happens before they get to where they're supposed to be." she sighed exasperatedly, "it's taking up valuable time and resources, and quite frankly it's doing my head in." Arya gave a dry chuckle.

"I know what you mean, I've had four meetings with Ajihad and none of them seem to have made any difference." Saphira shook her head.

"It's ridiculous, don't think I've been home before 11 for the last week." Arya nodded sympathetically. Saphira took another gulp of her drink finishing it off.

"So where were you today?" she asked. "When I called your house you weren't there!" Arya took a sip of her wine.

"I went to see my mother." Saphira raised her eyebrows, she knew of Arya's rather strained relationship with her mother.

"How did it go?" Arya shrugged.

"The usual, I left feeling a lot guiltier than when I went in." Saphira shot her a sympathetic look. "She wants me to go to Dad's anniversary thing next month, I don't know if I can face it." Arya admitted a moment later. Saphira nodded.

"If you can you should, no matter how things stand with your mum you should get together to remember your dad."

"I guess you're right." Arya sighed.

"I'm always right." Saphira grinned, causing Arya to allow a small smile to stretch her lips.

They chatted absently about work for a while, Arya liked listening to Saphira, she was one of the few people who could manage to keep Arya's interest. Saphira's phone beeped, picking it up she looked at the screen for a moment before she placed it back down on the desk with a sigh.

"Who was that?" Arya asked.

"Eragon. He's staying at a friend's tonight." Saphira replied. "That makes the third time this week!" Arya picked up something in her tone.

"Is everything ok with you two?" Saphira hesitated for a moment before giving a slight shake of her head.

"Not really. We had a fight last week."

"About what?"

"His choice of friends, I don't like that Murtagh that he's been hanging around with. You know him, the delivery guy?" Arya nodded, she had met the guy before, he'd made a thinly veiled attempt to hit on her. There was something about him that Arya didn't like, he seemed like he was hiding something.

"I've seen him around. I wasn't aware that him and Eragon were that close?" Saphira looked at her phone and nodded.

"Yeah, I mean I guess I should be happy that he's found a guy friend to hang around with, but there's something about that guy that I just don't trust." She finished her drink and placed it back on the table. "But it's not really my place to say who he should and shouldn't be friends with." Arya nodded.

"He knows you're just looking out for him."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Arya didn't know what to say, it was not often that she saw Saphira like this, it seemed that when it came to Eragon, Saphira took things very personally.

"I'm sorry, I know you don't like all this moaning and stuff." Saphira said. She paused. "Come to think of it, neither do I!" this made Arya smile.

"Next round on me?" she asked standing up, Saphira nodded eagerly.

The next day when Arya went to work, she was still thinking about what Saphira had said the night before. She knew in the back of her mind that she was focusing on this to avoid thinking about the visit to her mother. Going into her office she sat down behind her desk and linked her fingers together. As Arya counted Saphira as one of her closest friends she wanted to help when she was feeling down, but she wasn't sure how she should go about it. The most logical thing to do would be to speak to Eragon, but she didn't know if she should. It seemed out of character for her, and Arya was not used to doing things out of character.

After a few moments of restless thinking she sighed and standing up pushed her chair back. Heading for the door she flung it open and began to march towards Saphira's office.

"How do I get myself into these situations." She muttered.

Luckily when she got to Saphira's office Saphira wasn't there, but Eragon was. He was engrossed in whatever he was reading, and didn't look up when the lift door opened. Which was unusual, usually he was alert and always greeted those who entered the office with a smile. Making no noise as she crossed the space Arya came to a stop by his desk, he didn't look up until her shadow fell over the paper he was reading. Raising his head slightly he looked surprised to see standing there.

"Arya." He looked over his shoulder into Saphira's office. "I'm sorry Saphira's not here at the moment, I can call for her though?" Arya shook her head.

"Actually Eragon, it was you I wanted to speak to."

"Me?" he almost stuttered. Arya nodded again and retrieving a chair she sat down opposite Eragon. For a moment she didn't speak, he held her gaze for a while before looking down.

"Saphira told me about the fight." She finally stated quietly. Eragon looked up and for the first time ever she saw anger in his eyes.

"Did she make you come and talk to me?" he asked, annoyance evident.

"No." Arya replied shortly. "I came because I wanted to talk to you about it."

"Ok."

"Saphira feels...bad." Arya began.

"She should."

"Come on Eragon." Arya said, a little harsher than she had intended. She'd never had much patience and it was already wearing thin. "I know you two have had an argument, but you're so close to let something like this drive such a wedge between you." Eragon leant back in his chair and scowled.

"I'm old enough to make my own decisions. I don't need Saphira telling me who I can and can't be friends with. I would have thought she would be pleased, but it turns out she's just like Roran and Garrow."

"Nobody's trying to tell you what to do Eragon, she cares about you that's all." Arya reason. Eragon huffed and Arya knew she was making progress. "Look, you're both better than this and you know it. So why not just talk to her, straighten things out. You like and work together you can't go on like this, sleeping at someone else's most of the week."

"I guess." Eragon mumbled

"That's right." Arya said sitting back too. Eragon didn't speak for a moment.

"So will you talk to her?" Arya asked. Eragon nodded reluctantly. Arya allowed a small smile to stretch her lips. "Good. I'll see you later." Without another word she stood and turned to walk back towards the lift. Leaving a confused and somewhat disgruntled Eragon behind her.

Eragon didn't work up the courage to talk to Saphira until that evening. She'd been working late again and he'd decided to stay up and wait for her. He was sat in the living room, staring blankly at the wall when he heard her key in the lock and the front door open. She didn't call out like she used to, he'd not been at home enough for her to do so. He heard her moving around before coming into the living room. She looked surprised to see him sat on the sofa, an ice cold beer in his hand, and that hand extended to her.

"Eragon? What is this?"

"An apology." Eragon replied. "Listen I'm sorry, I shouldn't have reacted like I did. You've been amazing since I've been here and if it wasn't for you I would never have had this opportunity." Saphira slowly sat down next to him and pulled the top of the beer.

"I guess I should say I'm sorry too." She said. "Look I know you think I'm trying to tell you what to do, but I just don't want anything bad to ever happen to you. If you wanna be friends with Murtagh, that's fine." She paused and took a deep breath. "I guess maybe part of me was jealous as well that you'd found someone else who you were close too." Eragon smirked a bit at that.

"Friends?" Eragon asked, holding out his hand. Saphira grinned and brushing his hand aside and pulling him into a hug.

"Course we are." She grinned. Pulling back she ruffled his hair. "Right you. I'm off to bed." Standing up she walked away towards the door. At the door she turned and looked at him.

"What made you apologise? I know you; you're as stubborn as I am." Eragon was sipping the beer she had left behind, he shrugged.

"I had a chat with Arya. She helped me see the error of my ways." Saphira looked like she might say something, but closed her mouth and just smiled before leaving the room.

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**So I hope you guys enjoyed that. There's a development on Arya and some Arya, Eragon interaction. Let me know what you think, I love reading your reviews. Once again sorry for the delay between chapters I can't guarentee I'll have another one written soon but I shall do my best. **

**Pirate-x-Girls**


	8. Chapter 7

**So I felt so guilty that I hadn't been updating as often as people would like that I've made time in the last couple of weeks to sit down and write every day for at least half an hour. It's been a surprisingly good way to relieve stress from essays. So here's chapter 7. I'm really enjoying writing this at the moment and hope to start on the next chapter tomorrow as I have a couple of days where I don't have much revision. So I hope your enjoy this chapter. **

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**Flashes**

**Chapter 7**

It had been just over two months since Eragon had moved out to live with Saphira, and in that time he'd thought less and less about the family that he'd left behind on the farm. Roran and Garrow had taken him in when he'd been just a boy, Eragon's mother had been unable to take care of a child and there had never been an indication that is father was still on the scene. The last time Eragon had seen his mum had been at his sixth birthday when she had turned up out of the blue, despite his young age the memory was still crystal clear.

_They're having a party for his birthday. The presents from Uncle Garrow and Roran, placed side by side on the table. Sitting at the table is Uncle Garrow, a big smile on his face. _

"_Happy birthday!" he says, sweeping Eragon into a big hug, the six year old peers over his uncle's shoulder at the presents, eyes lighting up. Sensing his nephew's attention is somewhere else Garrow releases him and looks at the table _

"_Go on then, no use waiting any longer." The young boy squeals with excitement and grabs one of the packages from the table. Wrapping paper goes flying everywhere and Garrow's smile broadens as he watches his nephew's excitement grow with each present is unwrapped. Hearing footsteps on the stairs behind him Garrow looks round to see his son, Roran, come into the room and stand next to him. The 10 year old is bigger than most average ten year olds from most of his time being spent helping on the farm when he wasn't at school. Looking up from his presents for a second Eragon smiles to see his cousin. _

"_Roran! Come and open presents with me!" Roran looks at his father, trying to look grown up, but Garrow can see the excitement shinning in his eyes. After a second Roran goes and sits by his young cousin, helping with the wrapping paper. Garrow watches them both, a proud smile on his ageing face. A knock on the front door gets his attention, and moving away from the children he crosses to the front door. Opening it his eyes widen in surprise as he takes in the woman before him. _

"_Selena!" the woman on the doorstep smiles tentatively. _

"_Garrow. Can I come in?" Garrow seems to be unable to speak, but stands back to allow the woman through the door. Eragon remains engrossed in his presents, but Roran looks up, he knows who the woman is and stands up hurriedly. _

"_Eragon." Garrow clears his throat. "There's someone here to see you." The little boy finally looks up and stares at the women, a curious look in his bright eyes. _

"_Hello darling." Selena says softly, coming to a stop in front of him. _

"_Don't you know who this is Eragon?" Garrow asks gently, peering round the woman. Eragon looks at the woman intently, before his eyes sparkle. _

"_Mummy!" throwing his little arms around her he hugs her as tightly as he can. Selena clasps her little boy to her chest and looks at Garrow, a great sadness in her eyes. _

She hadn't stayed, she never did. Eragon had never hated her for leaving him, he had gained a father and a brother and he knew that she loved him. But Selena had never been one who could have stayed at home and looked after a child, when she had fallen pregnant with Eragon she had panicked. In her panic she had come to the only person who she knew would be able to help her, her brother Garrow. After staying with him for the duration of her pregnancy, Selena had given birth to a baby boy, and after a few weeks left him with his uncle. Her last visit had been when Eragon turned six, and since them they hadn't heard anything but the odd phone call every few months that had been crackly, suggesting that Selena was not staying in one place for very long time. Garrow had never found out what she was running from, neither had he found out who the father of his nephew was. So instead he had devoted his time to making Eragon feel like his son.

Picking up the phone Eragon dialled his home number. He listened to the dialling tone, realising that he was feeling a little nervous. Garrow picked up on the fourth ring.

"Hello."

"Garrow, it's me Eragon."

"Eragon! It's been so long" Eragon felt a twinge of guilt at the excitement in his ageing uncle's voice.

"I know, I'm sorry uncle. I would have called sooner, but I've been very busy at work."

"That's ok Eragon; I know it must be exciting. How is the job?"

"It's wonderful. I've met some great people."

"That's good. And Saphira, she is treating you well?"

"Almost as well as you." Eragon grinned.

"Well that I can believe. Are you eating well?"

"Yes uncle, is Roran around?"

"He's not at the moment. He's out with Katrina."

"Ahh right ok. Well let him know that I rang and I'll try and catch him in a couple of days." They carried on talking for a few minutes, Garrow had never been a man of many words and once he had established that Eragon was fine he was not one for idle chit chat.

"It was lovely to speak to you." Eragon said as they were saying their goodbyes.

"And you Eragon, I'm glad you're settling in well."

"You should come and see me soon."

"That would be nice." Eragon could hear the appreciation in his uncle's voice and knew that he had been waiting for the invitation.

"Tell Roran as well, he can bring Katrina."

"That would be lovely Eragon. I have to go now, I'll try and call again in a week or so."

"Goodbye Uncle." Eragon slowly replaced the phone in its charger and stood pensively for a second staring into space. He found himself thinking about the farm, with its wide fields and animals, he thought of Garrow and Roran working in the fields alongside him. A feeling he could only describe as homesickness spread through him.

Saphira came into the living room, flicking through the post, looking up she watched Eragon as he stared into space.

"Eragon, are you ok?" she asked. For a few seconds he didn't respond, finally shaking his head he turned to face her.

"Yeah." He said slowly. Shaking his head again he nodded. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine." He sat down on the sofa and gave a small smile.

"I was just chatting with Garrow."

"Ahh I see, feeling homesick?" Saphira sat down on the sofa net to him.

"Just a little, I'm really happy here, but I do worry about Garrow. I know he has Roran, but it seems that he's no around so much anymore."

"I see." Saphira said. Placing an arm round his shoulder she gave him a quick hug. Eragon hugged her back briefly and then pulled away to stand up.

"I'm fine." He gave her a smile and left the room. Saphira stayed sat for a moment, unsure of what she should do.

In the two months that Eragon had been working at Varden he had yet to meet or even see Ajihad, the man who ran the company. He knew that Saphira dealt with him often; being the joint head of a department she had weekly meetings with him to update him on progress and alerting him to any problems there might be. Ajihad was rarely seen around the offices, he had a lot of responsibilities and not only the running of Varden but he also had links with other big companies which required his time. Even though he had never met the man, Eragon still knew what he looked like; everyone knew what Ajihad looked like. As such he was very surprised when Ajihad walked into the office the day after his phone call with Garrow.

Ajihad was an intimidating man. Standing at just over six feet, he had ebony skin and a heavy set face. He walked with a purpose and his eyes scanned the area around him, taking in every detail of what was happening around. As he stepped out of the lift, Eragon saw that he was not alone. A young woman was walking right behind him, she had the same ebony skin and determined features that made Eragon think that they were related. The third person out of the lift was a man so small that he would only have come up to the middle of Eragon's chest. He walked quickly, for every three of his steps, Ajihad took one. As the three of them crossed the floor towards Saphira's office Eragon placed down his pen and watched them.

Ajihad slowed as he approached Eragon's desk and turned his dark eyes on him.

"Eragon." He said, his voice was deep and powerful. He said Eragon's name not as a question, but as a statement, showing that even though they had never met Ajihad knew exactly who he was.

"Sir." Eragon said after a couple of seconds and trying to work out how he should address the man.

"Is Saphira available?" Ajihad asked. Eragon nodded and looked quickly over his shoulder, Saphira was sat behind her desk frowning at a piece of paper in her hands.

"Yes she is sir." Ajihad's mouth turned up ever so slightly and with a slight incline of his head he walked off into Saphira's office. The young woman and the man were left behind. For a moment there was silence until the young woman stepped up and stuck her hand out.

"Hi, I'm Nasuada." She smiled. Eragon returned the smile and reached out to shake her hand.

"Eragon."

"I know who you are, Saphira talks about you a lot."

"Oh, you know Saphira?"

"Yeah, I see her a lot when she comes to speak to my dad." Eragon looked over his shoulder again.

"Ajihad's your dad?" Nasuada nodded. The man behind Nasuada cleared his throat, causing the young woman turned her head to him.

"Oh sorry. Eragon this is Orik, he's visiting my father on business from another company." The man stepped forward and grasped Eragon's hand in a brief, firm handshake.

"Nice to meet you." Eragon replied, flexing his fingers to try and get some feeling back into them.

"So Eragon, how long have you worked here?" Orik asked.

"Two months." Eragon replied, "And what kind of business are you doing here?"

"My company or rather my family's company is in the same line of business as Varden, and we're looking to do a merger of resources so that we can both work more effectively." Eragon nodded slowly.

"That sounds interesting; I'm assuming that's why you're here to talk to Saphira?"

"Yes, Ajihad has assured me that Saphira and her partner are going to invaluable throughout the merger."

With perfect timing the lift door pinged open and Arya stepped out. This had been the first time Eragon had seen her since she had come to convince him to apologise to Saphira, with her usual effortless grace Arya came towards them. Nasuada turned towards her and a large smile broke her face.

"Arya! It's been a while." Arya returned the smile and when Nasuada reached her even hugged her. It was the most affection Eragon had ever seen Arya give someone apart from Saphira.

"I know, how have you been?"

"Very well thank you," Nasuada looked towards Saphira's office. "Are you here to talk to my dad?"

"Yes," Arya smiled. It was at that moment that the door to Saphira's office opened and Ajihad and Saphira stepped out.

"Arya!" Ajihad smiled, "Glad you could make it!"

"This must be Orik?" Saphira said, extending her hand towards Orik.

"Orik Dûrgrimst at your service." The dwarf bowed his head slightly, shaking Saphira's hand and then Arya's.

"Well, now that we've all met, I can give you an outline of what we're going to be doing." Ajihad said. "I know we all want this merger to run as smoothly as possible, which is why I've picked you two to help make sure it happens." He paused and looked from Arya to Saphira, "I know this means more work, but I'm confident that the two of you can handle it." Arya nodded, a determined look on her face, Eragon also noted the glint of excitement in her eyes, she relished a challenge.

"Well. On behalf on my board and family I just want to say I'm delighted to be working on this project and have high ambitions for what we can achieve." Orik declared. "Now if you will excuse me Ajihad I must go and sort the details at my end. I'll be in contact by the end of the week." Shaking Ajihad, Saphira and Arya's hands again he smiled at Eragon and strode off towards the lift.

When Orik had gone Ajihad beamed at his two department heads.

"He likes you." Saphira smiled back.

"He seems nice, it'll be a nice change of pace to work with him." Arya nodded her agreement.

"So how are we going at this?" she asked. Saphira looked thoughtful.

"It'll need both of our attentions to be sure." Ajihad frowned thoughtfully and turned to look at Eragon.

"You could use Eragon." Both Arya and Saphira turned to look at him. "You'll need someone to make sure Orik has everything he needs and he can work with Arya on the administrative side." Ajihad gave Eragon a small smile. "It's time he started moving up." Saphira grinned and clapped everyone on the back.

"I think that's a fantastic idea, you've been skating by Eragon, time to do some REAL work!" Ajihad nodded and chuckled. Saying his goodbyes he left, Nasuada, who had remained silent during the entire conversation followed him, giving Eragon a smile and the thumbs up. Eragon grinned at Saphira.

"No more filing?" he asked hopefully. Saphira let out a bark of laughter.

"Oh you'll still be doing filling little one! Just along with other things as well." Ignoring Eragon's scowl she walked back into her office, still laughing. That left Arya and Eragon alone, he turned to her and found her watching him with an odd expression on her face.

"You know." She said after a moment of silence, as she began to walk towards Saphira's office, "I might actually be impressed." With what he swore was a wink she turned and left him alone.

"A promotion?" Murtagh grinned. Eragon shrugged.

"Of sorts. I've got more responsibilities, which in my mind is a promotion."

"I'll drink to that." Murtagh touched his pint glass to Eragon's and took a long gulp from it. Eragon smiled and took a long sip of his own drink. They were having a quiet drink for once, Eragon had invited Saphira but she had politely declined. Eragon knew that she still wasn't happy with him being friends with Murtagh but she was at least making an effort. She had yet to actually meet up with Murtagh outside of the working environment.

"So, how are things with Saphira now?" Murtagh asked a few minutes later.

"Better. We sorted things out now."

"That's good to hear." Murtagh leaned back in his chair and cast his eyes around the room. "So have you spoken to Emily recently?" Eragon immediately went a couple of shades darker as he flushed.

"Erm, well I mean I've spoken to her a couple of times. We've texted." He mumbled. Murtagh laughed loudly.

"Man, I hope you're not this nervous when you talk to her!" Eragon drained his drink and scowled.

"Shut up." He muttered.

"Have you actually met up with her again since that night in the club?" was Murtagh's next question.

"No, neither of us have had the time."

"Well, you need to make time!" Murtagh pointed his glass at Eragon, "Eragon. That girl is hot!" a devilish smile spread across his face.

"Not as hot at the woman from the office though." Eragon felt a surge of anger flare up in his stomach as he saw the look that came into Murtagh's eyes when he mentioned Arya. It was not a look that he liked and he found himself becoming incredibly defensive. Even though he knew that nothing was going to happen between Murtagh and Arya, and that even if Murtagh did make a move he was certain that Arya would shoot him down.

It was when he was home later that night that Eragon found himself thinking once again what Murtagh had said about himself and Emily. Taking out his phone he scrolled down his list of contacts until he was at Emily's name. He hesitated; the cause of his hesitation, was of course Arya. Her face swan in his mind and try as he might he couldn't seem to get rid of it with a frustrated sigh he sat down heavily on his bed. He sat for five minutes deep in thought; the image of Arya still wouldn't leave. Eragon looked down at his phone one last time before taking a deep breath. Pressing a button on his phone he raised it to his ear.

"Hello? It's Eragon, do you fancy going for a drink sometime?"

"You have a date?" Saphira asked incredulously. Eragon rolled his eyes.

"You don't have to say it like that!"

"Like what?"

"Like it's a completely alien concept that I could have a date!" Saphira turned and leant against her desk, watching him with an amused expression on her face.

"I don't think it's an alien concept, I just didn't know you'd met anyone you didn't say anything."

"Well, believe it or not I don't tell you everything!" Saphira snorted, causing him to scowl. "I don't"

"Fine. What's her name then?"

"Emily."

"Ok. And when did you meet?"

"A couple of weeks ago on a night out." Saphira crossed her arms and nodded.

"I see. Where are you taking her?"

"We're just going for drinks." Eragon was beginning to feel uncomfortable. "It's not that big a deal."

"It is a big deal. It's the first date you've been on since you got here." She pushed away from her desk and came over to stand next to him. "It's nice to see you found someone." There seemed to be an underlying tone to her voice that made Eragon pause. Looking at her he wondered what she meant by it and whether or not he should say something. After a second he decided against it, he didn't want to be reading too much into things.

"Yeah, she seems nice." Saphira clapped him on the shoulder and moved back to her desk and started looking through the papers that were there.

"Can you take these to Arya? I promised I'd have them there an hour ago."

"Yeah, sure no problem."

Eragon ran into Murtagh as he was walking out of the lift on Arya's floor.

"Hey buddy!" Murtagh grinned, "How's it going?"

"Not bad," Eragon replied, slowing his pace only slightly. "Look, I can't stop and chat, I'm running late."

"It's fine. I don't have anywhere to be I'll walk with you." Eragon resisted the urge to sigh. As much as Murtagh was his friend, he didn't want him to be around Arya, but there was nothing he could do about it so he nodded briefly and carried on walking.

"Your date's tonight isn't it?" Murtagh asked as they wandered down the corridor.

"Yeah."

"How you feeling about it?" Murtagh looked at him briefly.

"Fine I guess, it's just drinks. It's no big deal, we're just seeing how it goes." Murtagh allowed a smirk to spread across his face.

"Hopefully it'll go somewhere good." The wink he gave Eragon let him know exactly what he meant by 'somewhere good'.

"It'll go where it goes." Eragon said shortly. Murtagh didn't seem to pick up on his tone and just carried on smiling. They were now outside of Arya's office.

"Well, this is where I need to be." he stood and waited for Murtagh to leave.

"So, you'll keep me up to date on what happens tonight then?" he asked. "I want a blow by blow account!"

"Err sure I'll drop you a text when it's over."

"No chance, I want to know everything that happens on this date."

On the word 'date' the door to Arya's office opened. Eragon turned his head to find her watching him and Murtagh.

"Is there a party out here?" she asked.

"There could be." Murtagh replied, smiling in a way that Eragon didn't like. And if the look on Arya's face was anything to go by she didn't like it either.

"Was there something you wanted?" she asked frostily. Murtagh seemed put out by her tone, the first time that Eragon had seen this reaction on him.

"Not necessarily."

"Well then..." Murtagh seemed to get the hint. Nodding to Eragon he walked away. Turning before he got to the lift he made a gesture with his hands that Eragon should call him. Looking back at Arya Eragon notice her watching him, her eyebrow still raised.

"I err, have those files from Saphira for you." He muttered. Arya nodded and jerked her head, indicating that he should follow her. Closing the door once he got into the office he handed across the files.

"Thank you." Retreating behind her desk Arya started to look through the paper. "What's this about a date I hear?" she asked a few seconds later, not raising her head. Eragon for a moment didn't know what to say.

"Er, yes. Yes I have a date." He said finally, hoping he didn't sound to stupid. "Tonight." Arya still didn't look up. Eragon wanted her to, he wanted to see her eyes.

"Good for you." Arya finished the file and closed it. It was only then that she looked up. As usual the expression on her face was unreadable, and her eyes gave away even less. But there was something there, an emotion that Eragon couldn't read; he maintained eye contact for less than three seconds before looking down and clearing his throat.

"Was there anything else?" he asked.

"No. You can go." Eragon smiled and turned for the door. He had his hand on the handle when Arya called his name.

"We start the merger next week. You'll be helping me out with administration, I'll let you know when I'll be needing you." She looked up. "Seems we'll be spending a lot more time together."

Arya's words followed Eragon all the way to the bar that night. Stopping outside the door he smoothed down his shirt and peered in through one of the large big windows. He could see Emily sat at the bar. She was sipping from a cocktail, as Eragon watched a man leant against the bar and started talking to her. She spoke a few words back, but seemed to largely ignore him. The man persisted for another 30 seconds before he seemed to give up, with a shake of his head walked away from the bar. Eragon took a deep breath and psyching himself up pushed the door open. Making his way through the people, he came to stand next to Emily at the bar. Sensing that someone was there she turned to face him, her eyes lighting up and a smile stretching across her face.

"Eragon!" he smiled back, surprised to find it came easy. Usually he was incredibly nervous, but tonight he felt a sense of calm and confidence.

"Hey." He gestured to her drink on the bar, "Can I get you another one?" Emily smiled, and nodded.

"Sure, why not." Eragon faced the barman and ordered the drinks, a white wine for her, a beer for him. Once he'd paid they moved away from the bar and to a small table at the back of the bar. as he settled down opposite her, Eragon noted once again how pretty she was. As she took a sip if her drink she shot him a smile.

"How have you been?" he asked.

"Fine, I'm really glad you called."

"You were? "

"Yeah, I'd been hoping we could meet up again, since we were so...rudely interrupted in the club that night." Emily gave him a wink. Eragon remembered all too well the night he had gone out with Murtagh and Emily's friend had pulled them apart.

"Yes, we never really got to finish our evening." He agreed.

For the next half an hour they sat and talked about their lives. Eragon told her all about the work that he was doing at Varden, and Emily told him about the work that she did. She was training to be a lawyer at the biggest law firm in town. It would not have been the first job that would have to come to mind when Eragon looked at her, but the more she told him, the more he came to realise that it was the perfect job for her. She was passionate and not willing to let something go if she believed in it. She had a sharp wit and a sense of humour that he found was much like Saphira's. She was constantly smiling and without meaning to Eragon found himself comparing her to Arya, where Arya was slow to smile, a smile that was always reserved, Emily's was a carefree and infectious smile.

Within an hour Eragon found that his cheeks were hurting from smiling so much. Draining his pint he set the glass back down on the table.

"Want another one?" he asked. Emily nodded, and stood up.

"This one's on me." She grinned; Eragon opened his mouth to protest, but closed it quickly when she raised an eyebrow. As she walked away to the bar Eragon felt his phone vibrate, pulling it out of his pocket he saw he had two messages. One from Saphira, one from Murtagh, both said almost exactly the same thing.

'_How's it going?'_, his thumb hovering over the keypad Eragon debated whether or not he should reply. As he sat deciding Emily came back over and put a beer on the table in front of him.

"Anything important?" She asked as she sat back down opposite him again and gestured to the phone.

"Not at all." Eragon replied with a smile, putting his phone away.

By the time the night came to an end Eragon found that he didn't want it to. He'd had a lot of fun talking to Emily, she was easy company. Not as easy to talk to as Saphira, but there were very few people who were. They left the bar together and instead of getting a taxi home they decided to walk. It was a clear night and when Eragon looked upwards, for once he could see the stars, it had been a long time since he had been able to see them, although they would never be as clear as they had been on the farm. It was nights like these that Eragon missed the farm, the quiet stillness and the peace he would find there if ever he couldn't sleep.

"What are you thinking about?" Emily asked beside him. Tearing his gaze away from the stares he turned to look at her.

"Just where I grew up, it's so noisy here." Emily laughed.

"You're a country boy through and through you are." Eragon smiled back. "Come on. Enough looking at the stars. You can walk me home."

Emily stood on the step next to her door, watching him with eyes that for the first time that evening showed signs of nervousness.

"So, would you like to come in for some coffee?" she asked. Eragon looked at his watch.

"I would love to, but I have work early in the morning. My boss, she's a real dragon." Emily chuckled.

"That's fair enough." Leaning forward she pressed her lips gently against his. The kiss was short and sweet. Pulling away she winked at him.

"Call me."

Eragon slipped slowly into the flat, trying as hard as he could not to make a sound. Tiptoeing through the flat he made for the kitchen, meaning to get a drink of water before he went to bed. As he turned the corner to go into the living room he was confronted with Saphira sat on the sofa with only with only one lamp on.

"Jesus! You scared the crap out of me!" he breathed, clutching at his chest.

"Tell me everything!" Saphira blurted excitedly. Eragon sank onto the sofa and breathed out deeply.

"It was...good." he said finally. Saphira's eyes widened.

"It was good! What does that mean? Did you kiss, did you walk her home? Did you buy her drinks?" she asked the last question sternly. Eragon laughed and raised his hands.

"Yes, I bought her drinks, yes, I walked her home." He paused. "And, yes we kissed." Saphira squealed and clapped her hands together.

"Awww I'm so proud of you." Eragon pulled away from her groping hands, that were trying to hug him and stood up.

"Ok. I'm going to go to bed now." Saphira stood and followed him.

"But there's so much more you need to tell me." Eragon walked into his room and turning to face her smiled.

"Well, you can just wait until tomorrow." Before she could reply he closed the door in her face.

Arya sipped at her glass of wine and stared at the paper in front of her. Rubbing her eyes she looked around her empty apartment. Reluctantly turning her gaze back to the report in front of her she found her mind wondering. Frustratingly it wandered back to the conversation she'd had with Eragon. Ever since she'd heard that he had a date it had been stuck in the back of her mind. She didn't know what it was about it that bothered her so much. Closing the file with a snap she cursed, the sound echoing round the empty room. Draining the rest of her wine she stood up, and turning off the lights went to bed. Trying all the while to shake off the uncomfortable feeling she had about Eragon and his date.

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**I hope it's up to people's standards and you enjoy where the story, as always leave a review and let me know what you think. **

**Pirate-x-Girls**


	9. Chapter 8

**Hey guys apologies for a delay in getting this up. My excuse is two fold, exams and I had an operation on my knee a couple of weeks ago so I've not had much movement. But this chapter is longer and I hope you all enjoy it. **

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**Flashes**

**Chapter 8**

"How do you find anything in this place?" Orik grumbled for the third time that morning.

"Practice." Eragon replied for the third time that morning. The two of them were treading familiar path between Saphira and Arya's office, a route Eragon was beginning to think he could do in his sleep. As they reached Arya's floor Eragon felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, fishing it out he read the message and smiled as he read the message.

_Hope you're not too tired at work! Must be difficult doing nothing all day! Xx_

True to his word Ajihad had started them all to work on the merger as soon as they had come in on the Monday after their meeting with Orik. It was not the Thursday after and Eragon had been coming to the office at 7, and not leaving until 9 or 10 every day. It had been worse for Arya and Saphira, who would often be in earlier than Eragon and nearly always leave later. The merger had resulted in a lot more work than Eragon had expected, and as a result he had been unable to see Emily again since their date. They had kept in regular contact though by the use of texting and the odd phone call, something that had provided Saphira with lots of opportunities to mock him.

Most of Eragon's work in the merger was mainly administration, he worked with both Saphira and Arya, but he had beginning to spend more of his time with Orik, as the dwarf needed a lot of help getting round the large building.

"Is your company building not larger than this?" Eragon asked. Orik nodded.

"Yes, but it took me three years to get used to that!"

"So I'm going to be showing you to and from the same offices for the next three years?" Eragon laughed.

"Well, hopefully not that long."

* * *

Saphira sighed heavily and leant back on her chair, rubbing her eyes she looked at the paper in front of her. She could barely see her desk for the multitude of folders, paper and unfinished scribbles. Picking up the cup of coffee next to her hand and sighed again when she realised it was empty. There was a knock at the door and Arya popped her head round the door as Saphira was looking somewhere to put the empty cup.

"How's it going?" she asked, sinking down into the chair on the other side of Saphira's desk.

"Slowly." Saphira replied, Arya looked round at all the paper, before running a hand through her hair.

"What are you doing this weekend?" Saphira asked after a couple of minutes of silence. Arya shrugged.

"I'll probably just come into work, catch up on some things when there's some peace and quiet." Saphira was shaking her head before she had even finished.

"Wrong answer." She grinned. "You're coming to stay with me this weekend." Arya opened her mouth, obviously to protest, but Saphira cut her off.

"No. you've spent more than 5 or 6 hours at a time, you're staying away from the office this weekend and you're going to have some fun." Arya looked like she might argue back but Saphira raised an eyebrow. Rolling her eyes Arya conceded with a sigh.

"Fine you win. Not that you've left me with a choice."

"You never had one." Saphira grinned,

"That makes me feel good." Arya chuckled as she leant back in her chair and shook her head. "So where's Eragon?" she asked, obviously trying to change the subject.

"He's at lunch with Orik I think. Why?"

"I just had a couple of things I had to run through with him." Saphira shrugged.

"Did you hear about his date?" Saphira asked, with a hint of excitement. Arya nodded and Saphira couldn't help but notice a strange look pass across her face, it wasn't one that Saphira could easily identify but it looked like annoyance.

"Have you met her?" Saphira shook her head.

"No, not yet. But from what he's told me about her, she seems nice enough." Arya nodded again.

"I'm really happy for him." Saphira gushed, "He's always had trouble talking to girls."

"Well it's good that he is." Arya replied shortly.

Eragon pushed his chips absentmindedly round his plate, allowing his eyes to wander round the room. Stifling a yawn he turned his attention back to Orik, who was on the phone.

"No. They have to be here by this afternoon at the very latest!" Rubbing his temple Orik sighed. "Well as soon as you can." Putting his phone away he placed it on the table before looking back up at Eragon.

"What was that?"

"Just a hold up back at the office. Hopefully nothing too important, but I'll have to keep tabs on it anyway." Eragon nodded. Orik took a bite of his burger and gave a contented sigh.

"The food here is so much better than over at my company." He took another big bite of his burger. A shadow fell over Eragon's plate, turning round he was surprised to find Arya standing behind him.

"Are there seats taken?"

"No." Eragon almost stuttered, internally cursing himself for still being unable to speak properly around her. Arya gave a small grateful smile and slid into the chair opposite Eragon. He noted immediately how tired she looked. There were dark circles under her eyes, which had lost some of their sparkle. She pushed her food round her plate, much like Eragon had done a few minutes before. Saphira appeared a second later and sat down next to Eragon.

"Oh it is so good to have a hot meal!" Saphira gushed. For the past two weeks Arya and Saphira had had Eragon bring them sandwiches to their offices because they were too busy. For a few minutes there was no talking, just the sounds of eating. Saphira's food was disappearing at a rate of knots, whilst Arya seemed to be picking at hers.

"We're having a guest this weekend." Saphira told Eragon as she finished her food.

"Oh really? Who?" Saphira nodded her head towards Arya.

"I'm kidnapping Arya and making sure she has some fun this weekend."

"Poor you." Eragon said to Arya sympathetically, causing a smile to tug at her lips.

"Don't think you're getting out of it. You're going to be involved in this weekend of fun." She paused. "Hey! We should all go out Saturday night." The look she gave Eragon and Arya suggested that they had no choice. "Orik, will you join us?" Orik shook his head.

"Alas, I'm away this weekend. Next time though." Finishing off his burger he stood up, as he started to walk away he turned back to the table.

"You fancy going away for a drink this evening Eragon?" he asked. Eragon nodded.

"Sure thing." With a smile and a wave Orik left, leaving the 3 of them alone.

"Another date?" Saphira teased, Eragon rolled his eyes. "Will you be seeing Emily again?" Saphira asked, looking at him with a badly disguised smirk.

"Maybe this weekend, if I can get away from the 'weekend of fun' you have planned."

"There are no dropouts from the 'weekend of fun'!" Saphira said immediately. Arya laughed.

"Just when I was about to try and back out." Saphira shot her a look.

"No backing out!"

* * *

Bye the end of the day Eragon was in dire need of a drink. There had been an administrative error whilst they had been eating lunch and Saphira and Eragon spent the rest of their working day trying to straighten it all out. Eragon would have been working with Arya on the paperwork, as he had been doing a lot since the merger had begun, but she had been called out of the office on business relating to another error that had been made. The going was made slower because Saphira was teaching Eragon at the same time so that he could start to be more independent around the office. Out of the two Arya was the better teacher, Saphira had a tendency to be very impatient, or getting distracted and going off on a tangent. As such it was almost 9 before Saphira finally put down the folder she had been going through and sighed.

"Alright, we've done as much as we can, I won't need you anymore so you can go." Eragon picked up his jacket and headed for the door. Putting his hand on the handle before turning back.

"Don't stay too late will you?" Saphira gave him a smile.

"I won't, don't worry."

Eragon met up with Orik outside of the building.

"I don't think I have ever needed a drink more." Eragon sighed pulling his collar up.

"Me neither." Orik replied. "Are there any god bars around here then?" he continued as they walked away from Varden.

"Actually there's a pretty good one down the street." It was one that Eragon went to quite a bit with Murtagh. It was a quick walk down the street. It was a sports bar and for a Thursday night it was very quiet. There was a football game on and a few men were sat at the bar.

"You get us a table and I'll get the drinks in." Orik said. Eragon nodded and cast his gaze around the bar, there were a few free booths with small screens showing the game, Eragon sat down and watched the game until Orik came over with the two pints and set them down on the table. Eragon took a long gulp of his beer and sighed.

"So how long do you think the merger will take?" Eragon asked when he'd drained half his pint. Orik shrugged.

"I have no idea, probably another few weeks."

"And what happens after?"

"Well, we will all continue to work together, only now the productivity of both companies will be increased."

"Well that's good, can't wait until the intensity wears off."

"Yeah it'll become easier on all of us."

Two pints later Eragon was feeling a little merry, he had just drained the last of his drink when he heard his name being called. Looking up he saw Murtagh leaning against the bar.

"I'll be right back." Eragon told Orik. Orik nodded and Eragon got up and made his way over to his friend.

"Eragon!" Murtagh grinned, smacking him on the back.

"Didn't know you were on it tonight buddy."

"I'm not 'on it', just out for a couple of drinks with a colleague."

"Ah right, we're moving onto a club after this, wanna come?"

"Nah, like I said just out for a couple, and I'm knackered. You're welcome to join us for one though." Murtagh grinned,

"Sure." Turning back to the bar he ordered three more drinks. Handing one to Eragon he stepped away from the bar.

"Lead the way."

Orik was on the phone when they got back to the table.

"Well, thank you for letting me know. Yes I'll check my email and let you know." He paused and listened. "No, I'll have to deal with that on Monday. Yes. Goodbye." Turning round he smiled.

"Sorry about that." He apologised, Eragon waved it away.

"No worries." Placing his drink down he waited for Murtagh to put the other two down before he spoke again.

"Orik, this is Murtagh, a friend of mine. Murtagh, this is Orik, I've been working him these past couple of weeks." Murtagh stuck his hand out for Orik to shake, but the dwarf didn't respond, instead he regarded the other man with suspicion.

"Have we met before?" he asked, the smile on Murtagh's face wavered slightly.

"I deliver packages to Varden most days, perhaps you've seen me then." Orik shook his head.

"No it's not that…" he trailed off deep in thought. After a couple of minutes thinking he suddenly looked up, a frown crossing his features.

"Morzan!" He breathed. To Eragon the name meant nothing, but when he looked at Murtagh he saw his friends face had hardened.

"Who's Morzan?" Eragon asked.

"Morzan is a business man, and a dirty one at that." Orik started, not taking his eyes off of Murtagh. "He works for Empire, and has committed many atrocities under their name." the name Empire was one that Eragon knew. Empire was Varden's biggest rival but where Varden sought to help those countries it traded with Empire was interested solely in profit, and there were many accusations of foul play against the company.

"What's Morzan got to do with Murtagh?" the question was directed at both, but Murtagh didn't answer he was still glaring at the dwarf.

"Unless I am mistaken, which I very much doubt I am, Murtagh is Morzan's son." Orik held Murtagh's gaze for a few more seconds before nodding. "Yes, I have no doubt; I can see him in your eyes,"

"Is this true?" Eragon turned to Murtagh, for a moment he thought Murtagh wouldn't answer, but finally he did, through clenched teeth.

"A son does not choose his father." Standing up he slammed his glass down on the table. "Do you think I want to be known and judged by the actions of my father?" Without waiting for an answer he stormed off. Eragon half rose to go after him but it was too late, he was already out the door. Sinking back down into his chair Eragon sighed heavily.

For the next 15 minutes Eragon plied Orik with questions about Morzan and Empire, and with each answer he felt his heart sinking a little lower. Empire had supposed links with terrorist cells, dictators and power hungry militia's all over the world, and according to Orik, spearheading all of these endeavours in the name of his company was Morzan.

"This guy has been arrested 7 times in the last 5 years, all relating to charges of extortion and dodgy dealing." Orik told Eragon as they were leaving the bar. "And worst thing is, he got off every time."

"Empire must have some good lawyers." Eragon commented.

"Precisely." Orik nodded. They started walking back towards Varden.

"So, do you think Murtagh is like Morzan?" Orik shrugged,

"I don't know, I'd never met him before today. I've heard his name but as far as I know I've never heard his name come up in regard to Empire." Eragon heaved a sigh of relief.

"But, I would be wary where the son of Morzan is concerned." Orik cautioned as they reached the main entrance of Varden. Eragon nodded reluctantly, unwilling to believe his friend could be anything like the man that Orik had been describing.

"I can't believe he'd do anything to hurt me," Eragon said as much to reaffirm it to himself as well as Orik. For a moment it looked like Orik might retort, but then he just smiled and clapped Eragon on the back.

"I'll see you tomorrow Eragon, bright and early."

"Night Orik." The dwarf turned away and walked off into the night, leaving Eragon on his own. Looking up at the building Eragon located the floor that he worked on, from there a light caught his eye. Tracing the floors up he realised it was Arya's floor where the light was on, the only one. And Eragon knew exactly whose office it was.

Riding the elevator up to Arya's floor, Eragon looked at his watch. It was just after midnight. When the lift door pinged open he stepped almost cautiously into the corridor. The office became an eerie place at night. The only bright light came from Arya's office at the end of the corridor, which was where Eragon was headed. Reaching the door he realised it was partially open, from the inside he could hear the sounds of Arya moving around and soft classical music. Slowly he pushed open the door, Arya was stood behind her desk, her hair, unrestrained fell around her face, and the shirt she wore had been unbuttoned showing the vest she was wearing underneath. Taking a few seconds Eragon watched her as she moved around her desk humming along to the music. Raising his hand Eragon tapped lightly on the door, Arya looked up in surprise.

"Eragon? What are you doing here?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing." Arya put down the file she was holding and crossed her arms. "I still have a lot of work to do." Was her simple answer.

"And you still haven't answered why you're here."

"Well I was coming back from drinks with Orik and I saw your light on." Eragon replied pushing away from the door he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I just wanted to check that everything was ok."

"Well everything is fine thank you." Arya replied curtly. Eragon was a bit taken back by the shortness of her reply, it must have shown on his face because her expression softened.

"Sorry I've been a bit on edge today."

"It's fine." Eragon said. Arya gestured to the seat opposite her desk, taking her silent invitation Eragon settled down in the chair.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" he asked as Arya started working again. "After all, it is what I'm being trained to do." He was happy to see that his last comment had made Arya smile.

"You're kind to offer, but its ok. I'm nearly done for this evening." Eragon nodded and the two of them lapsed into silence. For once though it was a comfortable one. Eragon didn't know if it was the fact that they were alone in the office of whether it was the fact that Arya seemed more relaxed, but he didn't feel the need to occupy the silence with small talk.

Surprisingly it was Arya who broke the silence.

"You look tired." She observed watching him with her emerald eyes, Eragon shrugged.

"I don't work half as long or hard as you and Saphira do."

"But you're young." Arya replied. "And not used to hard work." The last part she said with a wink. It was a truly playful moment and the first one Eragon had seen from her. Eager to see it continue he played along.

"I worked on a farm since I was 7, I know more than a little about hard work." He retorted. "If anything you don't know anything about hard work." Arya raised an eyebrow.

"How do you know I've never worked on a farm?" Eragon titled his head slightly to the left.

"Hold out your hands." Arya almost frowned, a small crease appearing between her eyebrows before she held out her hands. Gently Eragon grasped them trying to ignore how soft they felt and the fire that spread through his body. Turning them carefully he pursed his lips.

"Hmmmm, just as I thought."

"What?" Arya looked confused.

"No callouses." Eragon replied with a wolfish grin. "No way you could have worked on a farm, unless you were able to move the tools by magic." Letting go of her hands he held up his own so she would be able to see the hard skin that lined his palms. He was very surprised when she lifted a finger and very softly traced the line of one of the callouses.

"So, you caught me out, I've never worked on a farm." She laughed, settling back down behind her desk. Eragon couldn't help but laugh along with her,

"I should like to work on a farm." Arya continued. "I get awfully bored of office work."

"You should come to mine, I know there's plenty that needs doing." Eragon said before he could stop himself. Arya chuckled.

"Maybe I'll take you up on that offer one day."

The silence descended again as Arya went back to her work. Whilst she was busy Eragon found himself remembering Orik's talk of Morzan, deciding to ask Arya he licked his lips.

"Do you know much about Morzan?" he asked cautiously. At the mention of Morzan's Arya froze. Looking up she fixed him with her intense state.

"Morzan." She repeated. Eragon nodded. Arya put down her pen and laced her fingers together. She was silent for a few moments, Eragon waited patiently.

"Morzan is…"Arya paused. "…lethal." Eragon leant forward.

"In what way?"

"He's ruthless, and to him, there's no such thing as going too far." Arya leant back heavily in her chair. "In the 20 years he's worked for Empire they have been investigated over 15 times."

"Have you ever met him?" was Eragon's next question. A cloud passed over Arya's face.

"Once or twice." From the tone of her voice Eragon knew not to press her. "I'm not one to admit to being scared, but Morzan terrified me." Arya admitted, Eragon nodded. Arya had lapsed into silence with a brooding look on her face. Eragon began to wonder if asking about Morzan had been a bad idea, because up until then he had been seeing a different side to Arya, it was playful, almost flirtatious.

Finally Arya seemed to shake herself out of whatever was on her mind.

"Right, it's very late, we should both head home."

"Yes," Eragon said, rising out of his chair.

"Do you need a lift?" Arya asked without looking up from her bag.

"Yes, thank you." Eragon replied quickly, without trying to sound too eager. Arya zipped up her bag and hoisted it onto her shoulder.

"Right, let's go." She gave one last glance round the room before flicking off the lights and locking the door as they left the office. They walked side by side down the corridor towards the lift.

"So, this weekend should be 'fun'" Eragon said as the lift moved downwards towards the lobby. Arya shook her head.

"I guess so." A small smile tugged at her lips. "But I think Saphira's idea of fun and my idea of fun differ greatly." The lift doors pinged open and Arya stepped out and started towards the door to the car park. Eragon was surprised at how quickly she walked and hurried to keep up. Opening the door Arya only had a short walk until she reached the only car parked in the bays reserved for department heads. It was a nice little red car that Eragon thought suited her perfectly. Arya unlocked the car, the loud blip echoing around the empty car park. Opening the passenger door Eragon slid into the seat, breathing in he found himself inhaling Arya's beautiful scent. He resisted the urge to take a few deep breaths as Arya slid into the seat next to him.

"Ready to go?" she asked. Eragon nodded. Starting the engine Arya reversed sharply out of the space.

Whilst in every other area of her life Arya was meticulous and careful, driving was not one of these areas. Eragon found himself clinging onto the door until his knuckles turned white as Arya weaved in and out of the traffic.

"If it's all the same to you I'd like to get home in one piece." He said half way home.

"That's exactly what Saphira said the last time I drove her home." Arya replied as she accelerated a little more. Eragon considered replying but decided against it, he didn't want to distract her further when his life was already in danger.

Arya made is back to Saphira's flat in half the time it should take. As the car screeched to a half Eragon had to put a hand out to steady himself against the dashboard.

"Thank you." He finally managed to say, when his heart had stopped pounding.

"You're welcome." Arya said, watching him with amusement. Eragon collected his bag from the floor and pushed the door open. He considered asking her up, but decided against it.

"Goodnight, thanks again for the lift." He said, not wanting to go inside.

"No worries. See you tomorrow Eragon." Arya smiled. Eragon closed the door and had to a take a hasty step backwards as the car roared into life. Waving one last time he watched as Arya disappeared off round the corner, before turning towards the front door.

* * *

Friday passed incredibly slowly for Eragon, he spent most of the day filing the backlog that was steadily building up outside of the merger work. Eragon had also spent a lot of time worrying about Murtagh, he had tried calling and texting his friend but had received no reply. The packages for Varden had been delivered by the lobby receptionists. When Eragon had asked about Murtagh she had just shrugged and said he'd delivered the parcels and left.

Eragon dialled Murtagh's number for the fifth time that day and raised the phone to his ear. The dialling tone rang and rang. Eragon pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed as it went to voicemail for the fifth time. Deciding to leave a message he waited for the beep.

" Murtagh. I've been trying to call you all day! Just answer the phone! Listen I don't care who your father is. Like you said, a son doesn't choose his father! Look just call me when you get this so we can meet up for a drink next week." Putting his phone away Eragon turned his attention back to his filing.

It was bang on half five when Saphira emerged from her office.

"Pack up and wait here." She told Eragon before disappearing into the corridor. Mystified Eragon did as he was told. Saphira returned five minutes later practically dragging a very disgruntled Arya behind her.

"Right! Weekend of fun can now begin!" she beamed. Arya cleared her throat.

"Saphira, I need to go home and get changed." She said almost sheepishly. Saphira sighed.

"Fine. Go get changed, pack a bag and come round, THEN weekend of fun can start!"

Eragon was lounging on the sofa watching TV when the buzzer went off. Waiting for a few seconds to see if Saphira would answer, he sighed when they was no sound of her leaving her room. Heaving himself off the sofa he crossed to the intercom.

"Yep."

"It's Arya." Came the crackly reply.

"Come on up." Pushing the buzzer to open the main door he unlocked the front door before he plopped himself back down on the sofa. The front door opened a couple of minutes later and Arya appeared in the doorway. She was dressed down in a tight fitting band t-shirt and skinny jeans.

"Where's Saphira?" she asked, twirling her car keys round her finger as she sank down into a chair. Eragon jerked a thumb towards Saphira's room.

"Tarting herself up." He said.

"I heard that you cheeky sod!" Saphira appeared in the doorway. "I was not tarting myself up!" slapping at his legs she settled down on his sofa.

"So what's on the agenda tonight?" Eragon asked.

"Wine and movies!" Saphira grinned provoking a groan from Eragon.

By 1am Eragon and Arya were struggling to stay away, mercifully Saphira noticed and shut off the TV.

"Bedtime I think." Reaching behind the sofa she grabbed a pillow and thrust it at Eragon.

"You're in here. Arya's in your bed."

"Oh that's not nec…" Arya started to protest but Saphira cut her off.

"No. Eragon doesn't mind. Guests take the bedrooms."

"I don't mind." Eragon said as Arya still looked a little apprehensive. "Let me grab a few things out of there first, then it's all yours."

"It's settled then, goodnight." Saphira stood up and left, presently they heard the sound of her bedroom door shutting. Eragon quickly ran to his room and fetched what he needed, and had a very quick tidy whilst he was at it. When he got back to the living room Arya hadn't moved.

"Bedroom's free." He said. Arya smiled and picking up her bag made for the door.

"Thank you, and goodnight." She said over her shoulder.

"Goodnight Arya." Eragon watched as she left before making up a makeshift bed on the sofa. Flicking off the lights he lay down and tried to fall asleep on the very uncomfortable sofa.

* * *

When Arya woke up the next morning it took her a few minutes to work out where she was. The bed and room were unfamiliar, pushing herself up she shielded her eyes against the light that streamed into the room through the window. Throwing back the covers she padded to the door and opened it. The flat was quiet, it didn't seem that anyone else was up yet. Driven by thirst Arya made her way as quietly as she could through to the living room to get to the kitchen. Opening to the living room door she stopped at the sight that greeted her.

During the course of the night Eragon had slipped off the sofa and was tangled up with the blankets around his shoulders with his legs poking out the bottom. Arya felt herself smiling as she watched him squirm in his sleep. His face had taken on a softer tone, showing his youth. Arya found herself appreciating his looks properly for the first time. For all his youth it was impossible to deny that he was very good looking. Arya realised that she hadn't moved for a couple of minutes shaking her head she moved away from Eragon and went through to the kitchen. Picking up a glass she began to run the water.

"Good morning." A voice yawned behind her, she turned raising her glass to her lips. Eragon stood in the doorway stretching and yawning. Arya quickly realised he wasn't wearing a shirt, and it was very apparent that Eragon's years of working on the farm had made sure that he was in VERY good shape. Arya could not stop her eyes from wandering under over the well-toned muscles of his chest and arms. Taking a large gulp of her water she turned away.

"Good morning." She replied, composing her face she drained the rest of her water.

"Did you sleep well?" Eragon asked as he crossed to the fridge. Pulling it open he retrieved the orange juice.

"Yes thanks. Thank you again for the use of your bed."

"It's not a problem." Eragon smiled pouring the juice into a glass.

"How did you sleep?" Arya asked as she filled up her glass again.

"Alright I guess. Somehow ended up on the floor, was actually more comfortable than the sofa." Arya smiled.

"Yes you did seem very comfortable on the floor." Glancing up she caught Eragon blushing at the idea of her watching him sleep. Eragon leant back on the counter and sipped at his drink slowly and watched her.

"Can I make you some breakfast?" he asked a minute later.

"Err…" before Arya could answer Saphira bustled back into the kitchen.

"We're going out for breakfast." She grinned taking the glass out of Eragon's head and taking a sip. "Put some clothes one!" Eragon laughed and pushing himself away from the counter and disappeared out the kitchen. Arya was surprised that she was a little sad to see him go. Draining the rest of Eragon's orange juice Saphira grinned at Arya.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked, Arya nodded.

"Yes, did you?" Saphira beamed. "Now go get ready, I'm starving!"

* * *

The rest of the day was spent with Eragon and Arya following Saphira all around town.

"So much for a weekend of fun." Eragon muttered to Arya as they trailed after Saphira round a large clothes shop. Saphira wiped head round.

"This is fun." She hissed. Eragon rolled his eyes causing Arya to giggle. This made Eragon smile, he could see Arya relaxing over the course of the day. She was smiling more, laughing more and her conversations seemed unrestricted. Eragon was distracted from Saphira's glare by the ringing of his phone. With an apologetic glance at Arya he retreated a few feet away to answer.

"Hello."

"Hey," Emily's cheerful voice sounded at the other end of the line.

"Oh hey, how are you?"

"I'm great, how are you?"

"I'm alright, in the middle of Saphira's weekend of fun."

"Sounds thrilling." Emily giggled. Eragon looked around to make sure that Saphira was not within earshot.

"I'm dying!" he hissed. "I've never seen so many woman's clothes in my life."

"Awwww." Emily laughed at the other end of the line. "You sound like you could use a drink."

"That is an understatement!" Eragon replied.

"Fancy meeting up for a drink later?"

"I would love too." Eragon sighed. "But I have to go out for drinks with Saphira and someone from work."

"Oh, ok, I see. That's fine." Eragon could hear the disappointment in her voice.

"Listen, why don't you come out and meet up with us?"

"Err I guess I could."

"You don't have to if you don't want to." Eragon said sensing her reluctance.

"No, no I will come. It'll be fun."

"Good, I'm looking forward to it." Saying goodbye Eragon put his phone away and looked around for Saphira and Arya. They were nowhere to be seen.

"Fucking great!" he muttered.

Eragon didn't have a chance to tell Saphira that Emily was coming to eat them out, until they were out. By the time he had Saphira's attention long enough to tell her they were in the first pub.

"Saphira, a little later…" he started as they got they first round of drinks in. he got halfway through his sentence when he was cut off by the last person he would expect. Arya.

"Look who I found." Saphira and Eragon turned to find Arya and Nasuada standing behind them.

"Ahh!" Saphira screeched and pulled the other woman into a hug.

"Hey Eragon." Nasuada waved at him when Saphira finally let her go.

"Hey,"

"Arya called me, mentioned you guys were all having a few drinks to unwind."

"Yeah." Saphira grinned. "You know what this calls for?" she turned back to the bar and drummed her fingers against the edge.

"What?" Eragon and Arya asked warily.

"Shots!"

"That was not a good idea." Eragon shook his head five minutes later, try to get the burn of tequila out of his throat and chest. Beside him Arya and Nasuada were in similar state. Only Saphira seemed unaffected, a huge grin on her face. Coughing Eragon took a large gulp of his beer to try and chase it away the taste of the shot. Saphira looked like she was going to order another shot, hurriedly Eragon grabbed her arm and dragged her away from the bar.

"What are you doing?" she protested.

"No more shots." Eragon told her sternly. Saphira pouted.

"But shots are fun!" Eragon shook his head.

"No. Shots are NOT fun!" he disagreed. "Listen I've been trying to tell you something."

"What?" Saphira asked looking back at the bar.

"Well…" it was at that moment that Eragon felt someone tap him on the arm, turning round he saw Emily next to him. "…Emily's coming to meet us." Saphira looked sharply away from the bar and at the woman standing next to him.

"Emily." She repeated. Eragon nodded. Saphira suddenly grinned and pushing Eragon out of the way she positioned herself next to Emily and shook the other woman's hand vigorously.

"It's so nice to finally meet you!" his best friend beamed.

"And you." Emily replied smiling easily back at Saphira. "Eragon's told me so much about you." This statement made Saphira's beam widen.

"Funny, he's told me almost nothing about you!"

"That's because you're insufferably nosy." Eragon interjected stepping forward in a bid to get between Saphira and Emily. Saphira effectively pushed him away with one hand.

"I'm trying to talk to Emily." She said without looking at him.

It was at that moment that Arya and Nasuada came over with a fresh round of drink. Arya came to a stop and regarded Emily with a reserved look.

"Arya!" Saphira babbled excitedly when she caught sight of her. "Guess who this is?"

"Who?"

"Emily!" for a moment Arya didn't answer. "The girl Eragon went on a date with." Saphira prompted.

"Ahh, I see. It's very nice to meet you." Arya smiled and shook Emily's hand.

"I'm Nasuada." Emily turned to the other woman, glad to be released from Arya's piercing gaze.

After all the introductions had been made the group moved to a table at the far end of the pub. Emily sat next to Eragon and he was surprised at how well she got on with Saphira. Although he realised he shouldn't have been Emily was as easy going as Saphira. Nasuada was friendly as well, but Arya was very quiet. She sat with her beer, sipping from it occasionally. Saphira and Nasuada did their best to coax her into their conversation but she was minimal with her answers. Eragon didn't know what it was that had changed her mood she had been very talkative earlier in the day. The only thing that had changed was Emily's arrival. Trying to put it from his mind Eragon did his best to enjoy himself.

* * *

Emily allowed Eragon to walk her home at the end of the evening again.

"It was nice meeting some of your friends tonight." She told him as they strolled down her street.

"Yeah Saphira seemed to really like you." He grinned.

"That Arya was a bit strange." Emily mused as they came to her front door.

"She's a bit reserved is all." Eragon found himself immediately defending Arya.

"Thanks again, it was nice to see you. You've been so busy these past couple of weeks."

"Yes. I'm hoping soon I'll have more time, maybe we can go to dinner or something when I have more time?"

"I'd like that." Emily smiled. Leaning forward she gave him another kiss, a little bit longer than the last one.

"I'll call you." He breathed when she pulled away. Shooting him a coy smile Emily retreated back into her house. Releasing the breath he didn't realise he'd been partially holding Eragon walked off down the street, a smile on his face.

* * *

**Well I'm hoping everyone enjoyed that. I wanted to show Arya loosening up a bit. I'll try my best to try and start of chapter 9. As always leave me reviews they'll make me feel better when I'm doing nothing whilst waiting for my knee to heal! **

**Pirate-x-Girls**


	10. Chapter 9

**So I'm back with another chapter. This was a lot of fun to write and I'm hoping that you all like it. Thank you all to everyone who has reviewed and put this story on their alerts and favourites, it makes me very happy. So I hope you enjoy this offering from me and I'll try and get another one up soon. **

* * *

**Flashes **

**Chapter 9**

It had been a week since Eragon had seen Murtagh. He had tried to get in contact with him each, day and must have left about ten voicemail messages. These messages had started off sympathetically, but as the week had progressed and he had received no word from Murtagh he had started to get irate.

"Listen, I'm doing my best here, I've told you that I understand why you're upset but the fact you won't even call and talk to me about this is quite frankly starting to piss me off. So look I'll just stop calling you and when you finally stop sulking and decide you want to talk just give me a call."

With a heavy sigh Eragon chucked his phone back on his desk with perhaps a little too much force.

"What did the phone ever do to you?" Orik grinned at Eragon from the other side of the desk.

"Nothing." Eragon leant back in his chair and glared at the phone again.

"You ready for lunch?"

"Yeah, let me go and see if Saphira wants anything." Standing up Eragon stretched, feeling a crick in his neck, crossing the floor he knocked softly on Saphira's office door.

"Come in." Eragon popped his head round the door.

"Do you want anything for lunch, Orik and I are going down now." Saphira checked her watch and shook her head.

"No, I've got a meeting with Ajihad, Arya and the other department heads. I'm sure they'll be sandwiches there."

"Ok, only if you're sure."

"Thanks Eragon." Saphira smiled and began gathering all the papers that were strewn across her desk. Closing the door Eragon went back towards Orik.

"Right let's go."

They met Arya on her way out of the lift.

"Arya." Orik greeted her.

"Orik." She nodded. "Eragon." She glanced at him briefly. They had not had much contact since the previous Saturday night, Eragon was supposed to be working with her primarily on administration, but during the week it seemed that whenever he went to her office she was either out or too busy to work with him. Eragon was starting to think that she was avoiding him, but could think of no reason which would cause her to.

His mind kept returning to Saturday night and the way that Arya had clammed up as soon as they had all say down at the table. He knew that Arya was wary around new people but she was never outright rude. Eragon looked at her as they stood almost awkwardly outside the lift, the weekend at Saphira and Eragon's had done her good. She had come into work on the Monday morning looking more refreshed and less tired. But it seemed that she had obviously been burning the candle at both ends, judging by the bags that had reappeared under her eyes.

"Do you want anything from the canteen?" Eragon found himself asking. Arya looked surprised as if the thought of food hadn't crossed her mind.

"No, I'm fine thanks." She replied after a moment. Eragon had expected this reply and nodded.

"Well, I'm just going to lunch now, if you need me this afternoon I'll be here."

"Thanks. I might need your help later on a couple of things." Arya was already leaving.

* * *

"Tell me about Empire." Orik looked up from his plate at Eragon's words, surprised etched on his face.

"What?"

"I want to know more about Empire." Eragon repeated. "I know what it is, but I don't really know anymore than the basics." Orik was silent for a moment.

"Alright." Putting his knife and fork down he leant forward.

"Empire was, until about 25 years ago a relatively small company. It only dealt nationally, never in other countries, most of its profits came from hardware and metal..." Orik's face darkened. "...but then came Galbatorix." The name was slightly familiar to Eragon.

"Isn't he the CEO?" Orik nodded.

"He was on the board, and didn't agree with the direction the company was going. He was all for expansion, but the board wanted to stay where there were, there was even talk of downsizing a couple of departments, including the one Galbatorix was in charge of. He thought they'd all gone soft, so he took matters into his own hands."

"What did he do?"

"He initiated a takeover; he used blackmail, threats and deception to gain control of the board and stockholders and then appointed himself the CEO. There was suspicion that he had been planning the take over for years before his disagreement with the board because in the weeks running up to the changes many members of the board experienced serious financial difficulties which led to them having no choice but to resign when Galbatorix took power. As a result Galbatorix was free to appoint his own new 13 members of the board." Orik paused to take a swig of his juice. "One of these of course was Morzan."

"So what happened next?" Eragon asked.

"Well, within two years Empire had expanded internationally. It branched out into weapons, technology and anything else that was likely to turn a profit. Galbatorix was ruthless, buying up all the small companies that had anything he wanted, ships, trains, planes, goods, even executives who could help Empire expand further, all the bought out. Some legally, others...not so." Orik took a bite of his lunch allowing Eragon to process what he had been told.

"So, then what?"

"Empire quickly became the biggest company in the city and one of the biggest in the world. Mostly because there were no other companies who could compete with it, save my company and Varden."

"Did they ever try and buy you out?"

"Yes, it was one of the main reasons that we decided on the merger, not only where there major benefits to both companies, it offered us security. Galbatorix had been putting on us for a while and we knew that we wouldn't be able to resist for much longer. Varden is the only company that can match Empire so we met with Ajihad and agreed on a merger.

"Are the stories about what Empire doe true? All those accusations that have been made."

"Nothing has ever been definitively proven. But there are people who have tried to investigate Galbatorix and have had 'accidents' that prevent them from carrying on. Galbatorix is not a man to trifle with."

Eragon leant back in his chair and exhaled heavily.

"Wow." Was all he could say. Orik nodded his agreement.

"Yeah, it has been a worrying time with Empire sniffing around." He looked around and leant forward again. "I'll let you in on a little secret, if Ajihad hadn't convinced your board of directors to agree to a merger we might not have survived. Empire were more interested in getting rid of us than just pulling our assets and merging the company within Empire."

"Sounds like we saved your skin there." Eragon joked.

"Yes." Orik allowed a smile.

It was five minutes later that Eragon felt his phone ringing. Fishing it out of his pocket he was surprised to see Roran's name flashing up on the screen. Since Eragon had moved away from home he had only spoken to Roran a handful of times. His cousin had always seemed to be out whenever Eragon had called home.

Pressing the call button Eragon raised the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Eragon! How are you?"

"I'm fine, how are you, is everything ok?"

"Yes everything is fine."

"Good, how is Garrow?"

"Garrow's fine. Listen I have some news for you."

"Oh, what is it?"

"Well, next week, I'm going to be in the city for a meeting. Katrina's coming with me, so we were thinking we'd come and visit you." Eragon found himself grinning widely. When he had announced that he was moving into the city Roran had protested more vehemently than Garrow had and when he had dropped Eragon off he had seemed very sceptical about the whole set up. The fact that he seemed excited to visit Eragon was a step forward in the right direction.

"That's fantastic, how long will you be here for?"

"Three, maybe four days." Roran replied after a moment's thought. "The meeting's on Tuesday so we'd be looking to come on the Monday and perhaps go home on the Thursday."

"Well that's great. Where are you staying?"

"We're looking into hotels..." Roran got no further before Eragon cut him off.

"No way! Hotels are really expensive, you can come stay with me."

"Are you sure? Saphira won't mind?"

"Of course not." Eragon snorted. "She loves company."

"Well only if you're sure, it would certainly save us some money."

"Well that's settled then." Eragon smiled. "Look I'm just at lunch now, can I talk to Saphira and call you back later?"

"Yeah sure, I'll speak to you later."

As Eragon hung up the phone he couldn't help the grin that was still plastered to his face.

"Who was that?" Orik asked.

"Roran, my cousin. He's coming to visit next week." Orik nodded.

"That'll be nice. I take it you're close?"

"Yes. Roran is more like a brother to me, my Uncle Garrow, his father, brought me up and treated me like a son."

"What happened to your parents, if you don't mind my asking?" Eragon thought for a moment.

"I don't know who my father is. My mother was too young to have me, she fell pregnant and Garrow was there to help and when it got too much for her so he took me in and raised me."

"Wow, that must have been tough." Orik said sympathetically. Eragon shrugged.

"Not really, I had a good upbringing and a loving family. Yes it would have been nice to have seen my mum more often and known who my dad was but I wasn't hard done by." He said simply.

* * *

Eragon made it back to the office just as Saphira and Arya were coming back from their meeting.

"That was a long lunch." Saphira scolded him playfully with a wink. Eragon just rolled his eyes and followed them into Saphira's office.

"How was the meeting?" he asked leaning against the door and slipping his hands into his pockets.

"Frustrating." Arya answered to Eragon's surprise. "There was a lot of talk but not much was actually being said."

"It was mostly Sloan talking." Saphira said. "I say talking, what I mean is bitching."

"About what?"

"Budget cuts." Arya replied. "He's not happy that a lot of money is being put into this merger, where we can actually make some profit. Whereas all his department is good for is the odd bacon sandwich." Saphira laughed.

"Saphira, I've got some news." Eragon decided to tell her before she got too distracted.

"Yeah what?" Saphira asked as she settled down into her chair.

"Roran and Katrina are going to be in the city next week, is it ok if they stay with us?"

"Of course." Saphira grinned. "How long will they be in town for?"

"Monday through Thursday."

"Oh, oh, oh! We should have a dinner party." Saphira said excitedly. "I haven't had a good dinner party in ages."

"That would be a nice idea." Eragon agreed.

"You'll come won't you Arya?"

"I guess so. Who are Roran and Katrina though?" Arya replied crossing her arms across her chest.

"Roran is my cousin, Katrina is his girlfriend."

"So it's settled. We can ask Orik, and Nasuada." Saphira was beaming, she was never happier than when she was planning social events. Eragon caught Arya's eye as she gave a smirk, it seemed that Arya found great amusement watching Saphira when she got this excited.

Eragon ran the idea of a dinner party past Roran when he called him after he had finished work.

"It sounds like a great idea. Katrina's very excited." Roran told him."

"Good, Saphira is incredibly excited about the whole thing." Roran laughed.

"That I can believe."

Eragon talked to his cousin for a few minutes longer before hanging up. Walking from his room to his living room he shot an apologetic smile to the person who was sat on the sofa.

"Sorry about that."

"It's ok." Emily smiled and shifted up so he could sit next to her.

"I'm glad you were able to pop over."

"Yeah I've got an hour to kill; I've got a seminar by a guest lecturer in a bit and your flat is quite near the venue."

"Oh I see how it is." Eragon laughed. "You're only here because of the convenience." Emily grinned.

"Course I am. I just wanted somewhere to rest my feet. Wasn't really fussed as to whether or not I saw you." She winked at him which caused him to laugh. Whatever he had been about to say next was cut off by the sound of the front door opening and Saphira's voice calling out a greeting.

"In here." Eragon called back. Saphira appeared in the doorway, a smile breaking out on her face when she saw Emily on the sofa.

"Emily! What a pleasure to see you again."

"It's nice to see you too Saphira." Eragon stood up.

"I didn't realise you'd be home this early, I haven't made dinner yet."

"It's ok, I'll whip something up. I'm not that hungry anyway." Saphira slung her jacket over the back of the chair and headed into the kitchen, humming softly. Eragon leant back against the sofa as Emily's phone beeped. Pulling it out of her pocket she looked at the screen for a few seconds.

"Hey, I have to go now, my friend's waiting a couple of streets away." She said and Eragon was very pleased to hear a hint of regret in her voice.

"Oh ok." Standing up he showed her to the front door. "Oh, before I forget, we're having a little dinner party next week, do you fancy it?" he asked, almost feeling a little nervous. He was relieved to see Emily break out in a big smile.

"I'd love to. Text me with the details." Leaning forward she gently kissed his cheek. "I'll see you soon."

"Yeah, enjoy your seminar."

Waving one last time Eragon closed the door to find Saphira watching him from the doorway to the living room, a sandwich in her hand.

"That looked cosy." She smirked. "Is she coming to the dinner party." Eragon nodded. "Great. Do you want a sandwich?"

* * *

The weekend passed very slowly for Eragon, part of this was down to the excitement for Roran's arrival, and the rest of was down to spending most of it by himself. Saphira, Arya and Orik were called into meetings all weekend that didn't need Eragon, Emily had work and Murtagh still hadn't called him back. So Eragon took the opportunity to catch up on some reading. He had been reading business books, trying to get a grasp of the basics so that Saphira and Arya had to teach him less, and he would become more productive.

By Sunday evening Eragon was going out of his mind. Roran and Katrina were due early the next morning so Eragon had secured the morning off work so he could be around to meet them. He was cooking dinner when he heard Saphira come in.

"How was it?" he asked as she slouched into the kitchen and accepted the bottle of beer he held out to her gratefully.

"Hell." She replied shortly. "Sloan kept us there an hour and a half longer than we needed to be; I think Arya was on the verge of beating him."

"I can imagine." Eragon shook his head. Sloan had steered clear of Eragon since Saphira had chewed him out in his first week at Varden, but he had still run into the man a few times, it was not difficult to imagine hitting the man, and Arya had a shorter fuse with men than most.

"Well dinner's almost ready, so you can just go and sit down and I'll bring it through." Saphira gave him a grateful smile, and retreated into the living room.

"What time does Roran and Katrina's train get in tomorrow?" Saphira asked when Eragon handed her dinner a few minutes later.

"Half 9. I'll meet them at the station; it is ok if I bring them into the office in the afternoon?"

"Yeah it won't be a problem." Saphira smiled.

"Good." Eragon grinned. "What day were you planning on having the dinner party?"

Wednesday." Saphira was shovelling her food down and mumbled her answer around a mouthful of food.

"Sounds good." Eragon took a swig of his beer and slumped down on the sofa.

"So who's coming?"

"Arya, Orik, and Nasuada I think." Saphira mused.

Finishing off her food she stood up and stretched.

"Right I'm beat. I'm gonna head to bed. Are you ok to wash up?" Eragon nodded.

"Sure thing, you go ahead. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon." Saphira gave him one last smile before she picked up her bag and left the room yawning.

* * *

The next morning had already left for work by the rime Eragon had woken up. Yawning he made his way into the kitchen and pulled open the fridge. As he ate his breakfast he gave the flat the quick once over. Whilst Roran and Katrina were staying, they would be sleeping in his room and he would be back on the sofa.

Happy that the flat was clean enough he glanced at the clock and realised he had half an hour before he had to leave. Wolfing down the rest of his breakfast he made a beeline for the shower.

It turned out that Eragon needn't have rushed, Roran and Katrina's train was forty minutes late and he ended up hanging around on the platform. There was a chill in the air and Eragon regretted not wearing a thicker jacket, stuffing his hands in his pockets he exhaled heavily, watching his breath cloud out in front of him.

Finally he heard the tannoy announce the arrival of Roran and Katrina's train. The carriages pulled slowly up to the platform, Eragon craned his head, looking for his cousins tell tale sandy hair. Catching sight of it emerging from a carriage further down the platform, Eragon grinned as he saw Roran turn to help Katrina down from the train. Raising his hand he waved to get their attention, when Roran noticed him his face broke into a wide grin and he waved, pulling Katrina along as he started towards his cousin.

"Eragon!"

"Roran!" Eragon reached his cousin and pulled him into a tight hug. "It's good to see you." Roran pulled back and looked at him.

"And you cousin!" letting go he allowed Katrina to step up and wrap her arms around him.

"Eragon it's been too long." She said softly when they pulled apart.

"I know. How have you been?" he asked. Katrina and Roran had been together for just over 2 years. Katrina was soft spoken and almost the complete opposite of Roran. She was perfect for him and Eragon could not be happier for his cousin.

"I've been fine." We've missed you!" Katrina laughed.

"I've missed you guys too. Can I take your bags?" without waiting for an answer Eragon plucked the bag from Roran and gestured towards the exit. "Shall we."

"So what's the plan?" Roran asked as they sat down for lunch. Eragon had taken them to the flat to drop off their bags and they were now in a small restaurant a few streets away from Varden.

"Well, I'll take you into the office this afternoon and introduce you to everyone. Tomorrow you have your meeting, I'll entertain Katrina and then on Wednesday we have the dinner party."

"Sounds good." Roran smiled pulling a menu towards him.

"Who will be at this dinner party?" Katrina asked.

"Just a few people from work, and a friend of mine, Emily." At this Roran looked up, a twinkle in his eye.

"A 'friend' or a '_friend_'" on the second 'friend' Roran waggled his eyebrow suggestively.

"Oh it's not like that." Eragon said. "We've been on a couple of dates." At his words both Katrina and Roran grinned in synch.

"Ohhhhh." They said together, Eragon rolled his eyes.

"It's not that big a deal."

"Yes it is." Roran was still grinning. "My baby cousin is finally growing up!"

"You patronising git!" Eragon laughed as their waiter came over. "Now we can stop talking about e and concentrate on our food?"

* * *

It was nearly 2 o'clock by the time Eragon, Roran and Katrina arrived at Varden. Eragon led them through the lobby and to the elevator, as it took them up his floor he checked his phone. There was a message from Saphira telling him to hurry up and one from Emily, telling him her schedule for Wednesday so he could sort out what time she should arrive for the dinner party.

The lift reached Eragon's floor and the doors pinged open. When Eragon stepped out of the doors he was surprised to see far more people than usual were in the office. Orik was there, Arya, Nasuada and of course Saphira. What surprised Eragon was to see Ajihad as well and his heart dropped a little when he caught sight of Sloan. Turning back to his cousin and Katrina he smiled.

"Looks like someone set up a little welcoming party."

Motioning for Roran and Katrina to wait by the lift Eragon stepped forward. Sloan as usual did not look happy; his face was even redder than usual. Ajihad seemed to be working as a middle man, because Arya and Saphira looked ready to explode. As Eragon drew nearer he could hear Arya's ranting.

"...underhand, unfair and deceitful!"

"Arya." Ajihad laid a hand on her should in an obvious bid to keep her calm.

"You're a piece of work." Saphira growled at Sloan. "You're not a team player, hell you don't even work well in your own department!"

"My department is a forgotten one!" Sloan retorted. "We have a smaller budget, less man power and no support from the board!" Ajihad sighed.

"We've been through this before Sloan! Your department, like all the others in this company, have the full backing of the board."

"Then why is my department constantly being pissed on whenever it comes to annual funding?"

"Watch your language Sloan." Ajihad warned. "You know full well that each department gets the appropriate funding depending on needs and generated profit."

"But we never get enough!"

"You're meat shipping Sloan!" Arya suddenly exploded. "Your profit margins are the lowest in the company and you have one of the smallest departments. We are in the middle of the largest merger in this company's history and instead of helping like everyone else is; you're stalling and making it harder for everyone to do their jobs!" she took a step forward and Eragon saw the flash of anger in her eyes. Even Sloan seemed to heed the warning and shut his mouth.

Ajihad stepped in between his two department heads.

"I think we all need to calm down. Sloan, go back down to your office, I will meet you down there presently." Sloan didn't look at Ajihad, he was still glaring at Arya, who in turn was staring stonily back at him. Saphira was leaning against her office door, her expression mirrored Arya's. Sloan finally relented and turning around began to walk away. As he reached Eragon his eyes narrowed.

"What are you looking at _boy_?" he snarled.

"Nothing." Eragon replied.

"Then get out of my way." Sloan slammed past him, bumping his shoulder into him as he did so. Out of the corner of his eye Eragon saw both Saphira and Arya started towards him, but Sloan was already in the lift and the doors were closing.

Ajihad spent the next couple of minutes apologising to Arya, Eragon and Saphira. During the exchange between Sloan and Arya both Orik and Nasuada had remained silent. Ajihad left after his apologies as he didn't want to leave Sloan alone to fester in his anger for too long. When he had left, attention was finally able to turn to Eragon's guests.

"It's nice to see you again." Saphira grinned, brushing past his outstretched hand she pulled him into a hug, much to Roran's surprise. When she finally released him she turned her attention to Katrina.

"And you must be Katrina." Katrina nodded and seemed to brace herself for the hug that was coming her way. true to form Saphira gave her a back breaking hug.

After Saphira had put Katrina down Eragon introduced them to the rest of the people gathered in the room.

"This is Arya, she's Saphira's partner as head of this department. That's Nasuada, she's Ajihad's daughter and over here is Orik, he's our main liaison in the merger. Everyone this is my cousin Roran and his girlfriend Katrina." Roran shook Arya, Nasuada and Orik's hand whilst Katrina offered a smile and preferred to stay back.

"It's nice to meet you guys!" Nasuada said, "Unfortunately I have to go, but I will see you all at the dinner party on Wednesday." With one last smile Nasuada left.

During the introductions Arya had been very quiet, it seemed that she was still angry over what had happened with Sloan. Saphira was still babbling away with Roran and Katrina, which gave Eragon the chance to talk to Arya.

"So what happened with Sloan back there?" he asked. Arya sighed and rubbed one of her temples.

"He was just being Sloan, but I guess today it just got to me more. He was being so childish and I guess I snapped."

"I can see why." Eragon noted.

"There's just something about him that I can't stand!"

"His personality?" Eragon suggested. Arya laughed.

"That would be it." They stood in silence for a moment watching Saphira as she bombarded Roran and Katrina with questions.

"So Saphira and Roran seem to be hitting it off." Arya said with a smile.

"What you mean is Saphira is talking and not letting Roran get a word in edgeways." Eragon laughed.

"That's Saphira all over, she was the same the first time I met her."

"Come to think of it she was the same the first time I met her as well." Eragon smiled as he fondly remembered his and Saphira's first meeting. She had been just as chatty than as she was now, over a decade later.

Finally Saphira stopped talking and waved Eragon over.

"I have to get back to work. But if you wanna show Roran and Arya around I'll try and finish early tonight and we can all go for a drink."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Will you join us Arya?" Saphira asked her partner.

"No, seeing as half the team is either skiving or leaving early someone has to do some work." She smirked raising an eyebrow. Saphira stuck her tongue out, causing Arya's eyebrow to arch up further.

"Right, shall we go?"

* * *

Orik accompanied them on their tour round the building.

"Don't you have work to be doing?" Eragon asked him halfway through the tour. Orik shrugged.

"Probably. But I'm waiting on some paperwork so until I have it I can't really do anything."

"How convenient."

"Did you hear back from Murtagh?" Orik asked five minutes later. Eragon shook his head.

"No, I've given up leaving messages; he can contact me when he's finished sulking."

"Who's Murtagh?" Roran asked.

"A friend of mine. He's a delivery guy."

"And he's sulking because?"

"We had a bit of a disagreement." Roran knew his cousin well enough to not press the subject further, so instead he decided to change the subject.

"So Saphira is very friendly."

"Yes, and she's very excited that you're here."

"I loved her." Katrina said with a grin. "I don't think I've ever met anyone like her."

"She's one of a kind." Eragon said fondly.

The tour of the offices was finished within the hour, and then they were back outside Saphira's office. Eragon noticed that Roran didn't look completely comfortable.

"Are you ok?" he asked laying a hand on his cousins shoulder.

"I'm fine, I'm just not used to being enclosed by so many buildings." Eragon nodded in sympathy. He had felt the same way when he had first arrived, he was more used to the wide open spaces of the countryside. Only now was he starting to feel truly at ease in the city between the buildings.

It was that moment that Saphira appeared him her office.

"How was the tour?"

"As fun as office building tours can be." Eragon smiled. Saphira rolled her eyes.

"Well, I'm bored of work so I'm done for the day. Who's buying the first round?"

* * *

Wednesday came around all too soon for Eragon, he had forgotten how much he loved being around his cousin. They had been inseparable growing up, but in their teenage years had drifted apart somewhat. In the two days that Roran had spent in the city Eragon found they seemed to be finding the closeness they had shared as boys again. He had also spent a lot of time with Katrina, when Roran had been out at his meeting.

When Roran had first started seeing Katrina, Eragon had been at an age where he had not been interested in monogamous relationship, so when Roran had brought Katrina to the house Eragon had often opted to stay out of their way, not wanting to see their shows of affection. But now he was older Eragon found himself enjoying the company oh his cousin's girlfriend.

It was Wednesday evening and Eragon and Saphira had just gotten in from work. He'd had to let Roran and Katrina fend for themselves during the day as he and Saphira had had a big meeting with Ajihad at Varden.

With a loud yawn Eragon dropped his bag down by the sofa before throwing himself down.

"Long day?" Roran asked, Eragon nodded.

"You have no idea!" he groaned.

"Don't get too comfortable." Saphira called from the hallway. "People are coming in half an hour, be ready to get in the shower soon."

"Yes mother." Eragon called back exasperatedly, prompting a chuckle from Roran.

" Did you have a good day?" Eragon asked a couple of minutes later.

"Yes, Katrina and I did some sightseeing, did some shopping and had a nice meal."

"That's good." Eragon yawned again.

"You sure you're going to be able to stay awake this evening?"

"I'll be fine once I've had a shower." Eragon nodded.

Saphira all but pushed him into the shower twenty minutes later. Stepping under the jet he sighed and allowed his tense muscles to relax. The meeting with Ajihad had put him on edge as the CEO had outlined exactly how much they had left to do and how little time was left. On top of that he was also worried about Murtagh, who still hadn't called him back. Trying not to let these thoughts preoccupy his mind and ruin his evening he forced himself to relax and enjoy the water.

* * *

Arya checked her watch and raising a hand rapped on the door. She was right on time, as usual. Arya wasn't one to mess around with being fashionably late, when she was given a time she arrived at that time. She could hear voices behind the door; one of them was clearly Saphira's. Suddenly the door was wrenched open and Arya found herself staring at Eragon's very bare, very wet chest. He had obviously just got out of the shower. Arya found herself speechless, not a regular occurrence. Clothed in only a pair of jeans, he had a towel resting round his neck. Arya licked her lips and forced the words out of her mouth.

"Sorry, am I early?" she asked, trying not to let her voice crack.

"No." Eragon shook his head. "You're right on time, I'm just running a little late." Standing back he gestured into the hallway.

"Come on in." Arya made her way into the flat, trying to look anywhere but at Eragon, if he noticed her discomfort he didn't say anything. Showing her into the living room he let her take a seat.

"Can I get you a drink?" Arya nodded, keeping her eyes down.

"Yes, some wine would be great." Eragon nodded and disappeared into the kitchen. Arya could hear him rifling around.

Hearing movement at the door Arya looked up and saw Katrina coming into the room.

"Hey." She offered the other woman a smile.

"Hi, it's Arya isn't it?" Katrina moved into the room and sat down in the chair next to the sofa.

"Yes." Arya felt her phone buzz in her pocket. "Excuse me." Pulling it out of her pocket she quickly read over the message. It was from Claire, one of the few friends that she actually enjoyed speaking to after the death of Fäolin. Quickly composing a reply Arya put her phone away and turned her attention back to Katrina just as Eragon reappeared with a glass of wine, he handed it to her with a smile.

"If you'll excuse me ladies. I should probably go and get dressed." Eragon said a moment later. With on last smile he left the room, leaving Arya and Katrina alone.

"So how long have you worked with Saphira?" Katrina asked after they had been sat in silence for a few moments.

"Just over a year and a half." Arya replied. "What do you do?"

"I'm a solicitor." Arya was surprised by Katrina's answer. She had expected the woman to say that she didn't do anything, but it seemed that she had judged the woman on sight alone, something she reminded herself not to do again.

"Wow that's impressive." She smiled. "Is that how you met Roran through your work?" Katrina shook her head.

"No, we met in a bar."

"How long have you been together?"

"Just over two years." Katrina had a soft smile on her face that Arya recognised as one she used to wear when she thought of Fäolin.

Arya found Katrina surprisingly easy to talk to over the next twenty minutes. Saphira flitted in and out checking on the food she had getting ready in the kitchen. Presently Eragon came back into the room with Roran, although they didn't have any chance to sit down before Saphira had roped them into helping the kitchen.

"I only wish Roran was this well trained back home." Katrina sighed as she watched her boyfriend scurry around.

"Well Saphira tends to be able to wrap anyone round her little finger. She certainly has Eragon there." Arya smiled.

"Well they've always been like that according to Roran." Katrina replied.

"Really?"

"Yeah, ever since they've known each other, they've just clicked Roran said. He often comments that they're more like brother and sister than just friends." Arya smiled, she herself had seen just how close they were. When they were at work they were more often than not laughing and joking and they were always looking out for each other. Arya sometimes found herself feeling a little envious of their relationship.

It was at that moment that a knock on the door pulled Arya from her thoughts.

"I'll get it." Arya stood up and swiftly crossed to the front door. Expecting it to be Orik or Nasuada she opened the door with a greeting on her lips.

Which died as soon as she saw Emily on the doorstep.

"Hey." Emily grinned. "Arya right?" Arya nodded.

"Yeah, come on in." Stepping back she allowed the younger woman into the flat. Following her into the living room she sat back down in her seat. Eragon must have heard the voices in the hallway as he reappeared from the kitchen, when he saw Emily a grin split his face.

"Emily!" stepping up he kissed her on the cheek and pulled her into a hug. "I'm so glad you made it." Throwing an arm around her shoulder he turned to Katrina and Roran who were now sat side by side on the sofa.

"Emily, this is my cousin Roran, and that's Katrina, his girlfriend." Emily smiled and reached forward to shake their hands, both Roran and Katrina wore identical grins on their faces.

"Emily, it's so nice to meet you." Roran said as they all sat down. Emily looked to Eragon, her smile wavering slightly, obviously a little unnerved by the smiles she was getting.

"So what do you do for a living?" Katrina asked as Saphira handed out some drinks.

"I'm training to be a lawyer." Emily replied, Katrina looked impressed.

"Wow, that's pretty amazing."

"Yeah. So what do you two do?"

"I'm a solicitor and Roran works on his father's farm." Emily smiled and took a sip of her wine.

Just as a silence was threatening to descend on the room there was a knock at the front door.

"Can someone get that?" Saphira called from the kitchen. Eragon stood up and crossed the room and out to the front door.

"Hey!" he greeted Orik and Nasuada with a grin. "You're late!"

"Sorry, we stopped off to get a present for our wonderful hosts." Orik brandished the bottle of wine. Eragon took it from him and let them through.

"Well in that case all is forgiven!" he shook Orik's hand and gave Nasuada a hug.

"Guys I'm so glad you made it!" Saphira rushed forward to hug Nasuada and Orik as soon as they entered the living room. "Dinner will be ready soon; can I get you all a drink?"

"Yes, a drink would be fantastic." Orik beamed as Nasuada nodded. Saphira disappeared back into the kitchen. Orik was shaking Roran's hand and Nasuada was speaking to Arya when Saphira came back in with the drinks.

"Right here we are." She said handing them out. "Now that we're all here I'd like to thank you all for coming..." she meant to carry on but a loud beeping from the kitchen caused her to gasp and dash back into the kitchen.

"Do you need any help?" Arya called out as they heard Saphira clattering about.

"No no," Saphira's voice came back, a little frantic. "I'm fine, you guys just chat amongst yourselves for a minute." They all chuckled as the frantic clattering and odd cursing continued.

"When do you guys head home?" Orik asked Roran and Katrina.

"Tomorrow." Katrina replied. "I wish we could stay longer, but I need to get back to work."

"Well I hope you'll come and stay again." Nasuada said with a smile.

"We would very much like too."

"Aha! Success!" Saphira yelled from the kitchen.

It was a bit of a struggle to get all seven of them round Saphira's small dining room table. Eragon found himself in between Emily and Saphira with Arya opposite him.

"It all smells amazing." Katrina said as Saphira brought out the first course, setting the large pot of soup down Saphira grinned.

"Thank you. I can make no promises that it'll taste as good as it smells though."

"I'm sure it will." Ever polite Katrina was the first to get a bowl of soup.

The first course passed with relatively little conversation, other than praise for Saphira's cooking.

"This is very good." Arya commented, she looked almost surprised.

"I'm glad you think so." Saphira was looking down at her food so she didn't catch Arya's expression. Eragon did however and had to hide a smile in his food.

"I'm going to have to come over for dinner more often if I'm going to be fed like this." Orik smiled as Saphira placed the main course in front of him.

"I don't get fed like this often!" Eragon said as he helped give people their food.

"You make it sound like I never feed you!" Saphira grumbled as she settled down in her seat.

"I often have to beg, or make it myself." Eragon replied with a grin.

"Hush little one." Saphira chided him, which caused Eragon to blush and everyone at the table to laugh.

It didn't take long for talk to turn to business and what was happening at Varden.

"Have you seen Sloan since your little...alteration the other day?" Nasuada asked Arya and Saphira.

"Briefly." Arya responded. "I was going to see Ajihad and he was waiting outside, luckily he had the good sense to leave before we had to talk."

"Well you got off lightly, he tried to corner me in the office and almost ripped me a new one. I had to shout at him and threaten to get Ajihad involved again before he would leave!"

"Was that the man who was doing all that shouting the other day?" Katrina asked.

"Yes, that's Sloan." As they were talking Emily leant in closer to Eragon so that she could whisper in his ear.

"Who's Sloan?"

"He's one of the department heads at work, he doesn't quite see eye to eye with either Saphira or Arya."

"Oh." Emily looked round the table, as Nasuada and Orik were trading war stories of times that they had clashed with Sloan.

"It was the first time I'd ever been in the building in an official capacity." Nasuada was saying, "My dad had set me loose and told me to go around and get myself acquainted with some of the higher ups. One of these just happened to be Sloan, and I think I caught him on a bad day."

"Every day for Sloan is a bad day." Arya said as she pushed her plate away from her. "I don't think I've ever seen the man smile, or say a nice word to anyone."

"I realised that soon enough. When I went up to introduce myself he tried to put me to work before I could even tell him who I actually was."

"He did the same sort of thing to me on my second day." Eragon joined the conversation. "But he knew exactly who I was." Orik shook his head.

"I don't think I've spoken to him more than a couple of times, and he's always been reasonably respectful to me. Maybe it's because insulting a senior board on an important merger is a sure fire way to lose your job."

"I think Ajihad lets him getting away with being rude at work because it's essentially harmless. No one takes Sloan seriously, not even in the people who are in his department." Saphira said as she sipped her wine.

During dessert talk turned to things other than work, Eragon found himself talking to Emily about her training, and soon Orik had joined in as well. At his own company Orik had taken a lot of interest in the legal department so he had a very basic understanding on what some of Emily was saying, which was a lot more than Eragon understood. Across the table Nasuada, Katrina and Arya seemed to be in a deep conversation and next to him Saphira appeared to be telling Roran jokes; at least he guessed they were jokes from the way his cousin was laughing.

Eragon soon found himself becoming distanced from the conversation between Orik and Emily and allowed his attention to wander. Looking up he found his eyes locking with Arya's across the table. There was an emotion swirling in her eyes that made it impossible for him to look away, one that he could not seem to identify. Arya blinked once, which broke her hold over him and he cast his gaze away, feeling a little unsettled and almost embarrassed about what had just happened. When he looked back up again Arya was deep in conversation with Nasuada and was no longer looking at him. Eragon carried on watching her for a few seconds, as she talked and gestured with small motions with her hands. Sensing he was watching her she glanced back at him briefly, her eyes looked hard, but as their gazes met again her expression seemed to soften slightly and a tiny smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. Almost as soon as it was there it had gone and she had looked back at Nasuada.

* * *

"Saphira, that meal was amazing!" Orik grasped her hand as he and Nasuada stood in the hallway. "Thank you once again."

"You're very welcome." Saphira was laughing and clapped him on the back. "Come back any time!" Orik shook Eragon's hands and waved goodbye to Emily, Arya, Roran and Katrina who were all in the living room. "Goodbye all!" Nasuada and Saphira shared one last hug before she showed them out of the door. Closing it after them she came back into the living room.

"Right that's two down, now I just have to get rid of the rest of you!" Eragon rolled his eyes and started to gather up the empty bottles that were on the table.

"I should really be going too." Emily said a few minutes later, checking her watch.

"Really?" Eragon looked up, "Can you not stay any longer?"

"I wish I could, but I have an early seminar tomorrow and I still have a bunch of prep work to do for it."

"Oh ok." Eragon placed the beer bottles in the kitchen and picked up her coat from one of the chairs.

"Well I was really glad you could come."

"Me too. I had a great time." Emily grinned.

"So do you want to meet up sometime next week?"

"Maybe yeah, I'll have to check my schedule but I'll let you know." Emily kissed the corner of his mouth quickly and shrugged her coat on.

"That's cool. Travel safe." Closing the door he walked back into the living room to find Roran and Katrina grinning at him again.

"Sooooooooo." Roran winked standing up and nudging Eragon in the ribs. "She seems nice, you did well there cousin."

"Yeah she's lovely, and you two are so cute together!" Katrina added on. Eragon found himself blushing again and playfully pushed his cousin away.

"Cut it out guys, you terrified her earlier."

"We're family. That's what we do." Roran laughed. "It's my job as your older 'brother' to make you and any new girlfriend you have an incredibly uncomfortable experience." At Roran's words Eragon saw Arya stand up and walk into the kitchen.

"First of all, she's not my girlfriend; we've just been hanging out. And secondly I never did anything like that with you when you first started seeing Katrina."

"That's because I'm the older one and so it's my job not yours to make situations uncomfortable." Eragon scowled and punched Roran on the shoulder.

Arya left half an hour later, saying that she needed to be up early from work. Saphira had tried to convince her to stay but when Arya had pointed out that Roran and Katrina were staying in Eragon's bedroom it would not be fair to make Eragon sleep on the floor. Saphira had relented and showed Arya to the door after she had said her goodbyes.

After closing the door Saphira came back to the door yawning loudly.

"I think I'm gonna turn in guys I'm shattered."

"Yeah think we're going to head to bed now as well." Roran replied as Katrina nodded sleepily in agreement.

"You gonna be ok in here?" Eragon nodded.

"Yeah sure, I'll see you guys in the morning."

As they all left the room Eragon fell back against the sofa sighing heavily. After a moment of staring at the ceiling he got up and retrieved his blankets from the corner of the room. Moulding the blankets and pillows into something that vaguely resembled a bed he sighed again. After he had gotten ready for bed he slipped under his blankets and lay in the dark staring up at the ceiling again. When he closed his eyes he could see Arya's piercing stare, watching him over the table. He couldn't get it out of his mind. Squeezing his eyes shut he took a few deep breaths in an attempt to clear his mind before he slipped off into a fitful sleep.


	11. Chapter 10

**I've been working for 2 days straight on this chapter. I think it has major plot developments in it and it is now moving the story in a proper direction, as I am very aware that it has been ambling around for a while but I didn't want things to move too quickly, I want Arya and Eragon's relationship to progress at a realistic pace so hopefully that is working. Anyway enjoy chapter 10. I'll be working on Against the Rules and No Way Out next if anyone is following those but I will start on chapter 11 very soon. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Flashes **

**Chapter 10**

The ringing of his phone surprised Eragon. Putting his beer down on the table he reached into his pocket and pulled it out, raising it to his ear without looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Hey Eragon." Murtagh's sheepish voice sounded at the end of the line.

"Murtagh? Finally, where the hell have you been man?"

"I've been taking some time alone to clear my head."

"For 3 weeks!" Eragon said coldly. "You could have just texted me to let me know that you were ok."

"I know I should have. But I was angry, and then my dad called and wanted me to spend the weekend with him, which just made the whole thing worse."

"Ok. I can understand that, but you still could have just called."

"I should have done I know. I did listen to all your messages though, and I was thankful that you had left them. You've been a good friend."

"Yeah well, I was just doing what any friend would do."

"And I'm grateful. Listen, what are you doing now?" Eragon looked at his almost empty beer.

"Nothing why?"

"Fancy letting me buy you a drink? So I can apologise and explain myself a bit?"

"Sure I don't see why not." Eragon took down where and when Eragon wanted to meet and said his goodbyes.

Saphira came out of her room just as Eragon was about to leave the flat.

"Where are you sneaking off too?"

"I'm not sneaking off anywhere. I'm just going out."

"Where?"

"For a drink?"

"With?"

"Murtagh." Saphira looked surprised.

"Oh." Eragon raised an eyebrow.

"Problem?" Saphira shook her head quickly.

"No not at all. Have fun." Without saying goodbye she retreated back into her room, closing the door with a snap.

Eragon met Murtagh outside the sports bar where they had last seen each other when Murtagh had stormed out.

"Hey man." Murtagh greeted him with a clap on the back. "I'm glad you came."

They settled at a table with their drinks and sat in silence for a while. Eragon waited for Murtagh to speak, knowing there was no point in rushing him. Finally Murtagh put down his drink and looked up at Eragon.

"I really am sorry; I didn't mean to go so long without getting in contact. I just, after that night." Eragon didn't need to ask what night he was referring to. "I was angry; I needed time to cool off."

"I can understand." Eragon said, not wanting to say too much. Murtagh lapsed into silence again, staring into his drink a dark look came over his face, one that Eragon had seen before, most often in the time just after he had met him.

"I never liked my father." Murtagh said suddenly, not looking up from his drink. "Ever since I can remember I lived in fear of him. He has the worst temper; even now that I'm an adult he still scares me." Eragon though back to his conversation about Morzan with Arya and how she had admitted that Morzan terrified her and not for the first time he wondered just what kind of man Morzan could be.

"My childhood wasn't a happy one." Eragon was pulled from his thoughts by Murtagh's continuation of his story. "My mother wasn't around for very long, and so for years it was just me and my dad. It's not the ideal situation for a child to be growing up in." Murtagh sighed and drained half of his drink in one go. Eragon realised how difficult it was for Murtagh to talk this, it was obvious he didn't speak about his childhood often.

"Sounds like it sucks." He offered.

"You have no idea." Murtagh snorted. "My father has a fuse so short it would often take just one look to set him off. Sometime I think he enjoyed getting angry for no reason." Murtagh put his glass down and twisting in his seat pulled the back of his shirt up to a reveal a long scar that stretched up the skin of his back and disappeared under his shirt. Eragon felt his jaw drop. "I got this when my father came home angry because of his day and decided to throw a kitchen knife at me when I made a little too much noise setting the table."

"Oh my god!" Murtagh shrugged.

"It healed; my hatred for him never went away though. My father was badly treated at work, even though he was Galbatroix's right hand man, that didn't mean he was well treated. Galbatorix is mean, and that's the polite way of saying it. When something is done right, he does not dish out praise. But if something is done wrong, then God help the person who is responsible. People have been fired before for spelling ONE word wrong on a memo before."

"Jesus." Eragon breathed.

"I know, Galbatorix is meticulous, the inside of his office is perfectly organised, everything has to be done just as he wants it otherwise he goes mental."

"You speak as if you know him." Eragon frowned. Murtagh sighed again.

"After my mum..." he trailed off and swallowed. "...my dad didn't know what to do with me during my school holidays, so he would just take me to work with him. I spent every day of my summers there till I was 15. As a result of my dad working so close with Galbatorix I would often be around him when he and my father were in meetings.

"Wow." Eragon said. "What is he like?"

"My father scared me, but Galbatorix was in a class of his own. With one look he could render me paralysed." Eragon raised his eyebrows.

"That's pretty amazing." He said. "I've heard quite a bit about him recently. But I've not really spoken to anyone who knows him."

"Well I wouldn't say I know him really well." Murtagh said again. "I always did my best to keep as much distance as I could from him."

"So what's your father's relationship with Galbatorix like?" was Eragon's next question.

"Fraught." Murtagh replied. "They've known each other for more than 30 years. My father always worked under Galbatorix in his department before Galbatorix took over Empire." He paused again to finish his drink. "And then Galbatorix took over and he appointed my father as his second in command, because my father was willing to do anything to ensure that what was asked of him was done, and it was the same at home."

"Did you ever want to go into the same business as your father?" Murtagh shook his head vehemently.

"I never wanted to be anything like my father; as soon as I could I moved out of my house and got a job. But when I was 18 Galbatorix called me into his office. He started talking about keeping it in the family about how valuable my father has been to the company. He then went on to say that I had the potential to be even better than my father. That he could see that I was exactly like him and that he knew he could count on me to do whatever was necessary to make sure that the company was successful."

"I'm guessing from the fact that you now deliver packages means that you turned him down." Eragon said with a smile.

"You would be correct. The fact that he thought that I was even a little bit like my father was enough for me to tell him where to go..." Murtagh gave Eragon a grin. "...in the nicest way possible of course. I may have been turning down a job but I wasn't about to be rude to him, the man still scared me." Eragon laughed.

"That's pretty cool." Murtagh sighed.

"My father didn't seem to think so, when he found out what had happened he hit the roof. It was lucky I wasn't living at home otherwise it could have gotten very messy."

"So what does your father think of your...current occupation?"

"Let's just say it's not the first thing he had on his list for me to do. Our relationship has improved slightly in the last couple of years, but it's become more about tolerating him."

"I can't imagine what that would be like." He said.

"It was difficult yeah, but with large amounts of alcohol and a LOT of women I've slowly started to forget about the emotional scars my father has left me with." Shooting Eragon another grin he stood up. "Another drink?"

* * *

It was late when Eragon got back but Saphira was still up and watching TV.

"Hey." He sat down on the sofa next to her, Saphira turned and smiled at him.

"Hey, how was your evening?"

"It was good thanks, what did you do this evening?"

"Nothing." Saphira shrugged and held up her mug of coffee. "I just had a nice relaxing evening. It was nice to be off work for the first time in ages."

"Well that's good." Eragon smiled and stood up, "do you want anything to eat? I'm starving."

"Nah I'm good, think I'm gonna go to bed actually." Saphira came into the kitchen and placed her cup in the sink. As Eragon made a sandwich she leant against the counter and watched him.

"What?" he said with a smile after a couple of minutes.

"Nothing. It's just funny."

"What is?" Eragon put the bread back in the cupboard and turned back to Saphira.

"That you're not the wide eyed boy you were when you got here." Saphira smirked.

"I was never 'wide eyed'!" Eragon protested.

"You were! When you got here I don't think you closed your eyes for three days."

"Stop exaggerating! I was a little excited yes. But it was my first time away from home." Saphira giggled and pushing her way off the counter she came towards him.

"You've grown up so much!" she crowed pinching his cheeks. Eragon shrugged her off and rubbed his cheek.

"One of these days you'll stop treating me like a kid." He muttered.

"Oh little one!" Saphira laughed. "I'm afraid that day will never come." She went out of the kitchen before Eragon could say anything in retaliation.

* * *

Eragon sighed and rubbed his eyes in frustration.

"This is ridiculous!" he growled at no one in particular. "Why do none of these words make sense?"

"Having problems?" A familiar voice sounded above him, looking up Eragon saw Arya standing over his desk, her eyebrow arched as she smirked at him.

"What would make you think that?" Eragon said, leaning back and running a hand through his hair.

"I'm good at noticing things like that. " Arya smiled. Behind Eragon the door to Saphira's office opened and she came out, her nose buried in a file.

"Eragon, can you read this over for me, because some of these words don't make any kind of sense." She sighed, looking up she noticed Arya and grinned. "Even better, you can read it for me." She held out the file, pleading Arya with her eyes.

"Sorry no can do, I need to go out of the office, and I'm afraid I need to steal your wonderful assistant from you." Saphira let the file drop to her side and pouted.

"But that will leave me all alone in the office!" she whined. "I don't wanna be on my own it's boring."

"You'll be busy enough trying to make sense of that file there." Arya pointed out. Saphira sighed, defeated and her shoulders slumped.

"Fine," looking at Eragon she took the paper he had been reading off his desk. "Go on, I'll take over from here." Eragon sent her a grateful smile and stood up pulling his jacket off the back of his chair as he did so.

"Right, well we should be back later this afternoon. Have fun!" Arya grinned at her partner as they left the office.

"Are you driving again?" Eragon asked warily as they came down into the car park.

"Yeah, why?" Arya said, perplexed as she unlocked her car.

"Oh no reason." Eragon replied, internally praying for his life as he opened the passenger door.

Luckily for Eragon there was heavy traffic in the city that day; so any driving that Arya had to do was slow and almost normal. For Eragon it allowed him to relax, but Arya didn't seem to like the slow pace.

"Come on, come on, come on." She muttered as they got trapped in their third traffic jam in the space of 10 minutes, she was tapping the steering wheel impatiently and peering out into the line of cars. Eragon thought about commenting, but the way Arya's eyebrows were knitting together made him reconsider his idea.

"So where are we going?" he asked instead, trying to get her attention away from the cars that were jammed in front of them.

"We're going to a storage unit, I need to pull up some files from the company's database and I need the physical copies, but all files that go back more than 5 years are stored in the storage unit."

"And what do you need me for?" Eragon had to ask.

"Well, the job will be easier with two people." Arya said. "And I fancied some company." She shot him a smile that sent his heart soaring.

In front of them the traffic had started moving again. With a triumphant smile Arya put the car into gear and started to move it forward, slower than she would have liked, but it was a perfect speed for Eragon.

* * *

It took them well over an hour to make their way from one side of the city to the other. The storage unit was a large warehouse building that was situated in an industrial estate. Arya led Eragon through the front door to the reception desk. It was manned by a single person; a man in his late 50's who smiled up at them as they approached the desk.

"Arya, it's been a long time since you have been to see me." Arya smiled back and reached over to pat the man on the arm.

"I am sorry Jeod, my time has been heavily occupied of late." Standing back she looked to Eragon. "This is Eragon." Jeod leant over the desk to shake Eragon by the hand.

"Ah, yes you're Saphira's assistant yes?" Eragon nodded as the man released his hand. "Yes I have heard about you, it's nice to meet you Eragon."

"And you." Eragon replied. Jeod looked back to Arya.

"Now what can I do for you?"

"I'm looking for some shipping records, for oil and other goods." Jeod nodded and looked at his computer screen.

"What year are they from?"

"2003." Jeod nodded again and tapped at his keyboard.

"Right, the files from that year are in storage room C, you'll have to narrow your search from there, but if you know the month of the records you're looking for it shouldn't be too difficult." Arya smiled at him again.

"Thank you Jeod, how's Helen?" she asked. Jeod shrugged.

"The usual, the house isn't big enough, I don't make enough money and I'm not home enough." A tender smile came over his face. "But for all her moaning she is happy to see me when I am home. I think she just likes to complain to conceal how deeply she cares." Arya laughed,

"That's good to hear." Jeod printed off a form and handed it to Arya.

"This has all the information you need on it, but if you do need any more help there's a phone in the storage room which you can reach me on, the extension is 004."

"Thank you." Arya took the paper from him and motioned for Eragon to follow her. Jeod nodded goodbye to Eragon and returned his attention back to the computer in front of him.

* * *

The storage rooms were down a long corridor and each door was marked in yellow with a letter. Arya led Eragon to the door which was emblazoned with a large letter C.

"Here we are," hefting the large handle Arya pushed the heavy door open to reveal a dark room, peering into the gloom Eragon could make out the dim shapes of several large bookcases. Arya stepped into the room, as she did there was a loud click above them, several seconds later the lights on the ceiling flickered into life and illuminated the room.

The room was large and square, there were ten rows of bookcases that stretched back towards the end of the room. Each row seemed to make up of about 5 or six long bookcases and each bookcase was stuffed full of files and boxes. Arya led Eragon through the maze of bookcases and to the back of the room where there were some tables and lamps set so people could work through the files.

"Right, we need the year 2003, the summer months, so from about May through to September." Arya said, placing the paper that Jeod had given her down on the table. With a nod Eragon went off and began scanning the labels on the side of the bookcases until he found the one that had a label which read: _2003: Varden Shipping Records_. Moving down the aisle he traced his finger along the shelves until he found boxes that were labelled with the months he needed.

Arya was on the phone when he got back to the table and struggled to lay the three large file boxes he had taken down on the table.

"Right well judging from the amount of files Eragon has just retrieved we're going to be here for a while. So can you tell Ajihad that I'll meet up with him tomorrow." Arya was saying as Eragon opened the first box and pulled out the top folder. "Ok I'll call you when we're on our way back." Putting her phone back in her pocket Arya crossed over to the table and dug out another folder.

"Right, what we're looking for are records that went to India, it's one of the biggest importers and exporters and we have loads of ties in India. So we need copies of some of the more lucrative deals so we can use them in the merger." Arya explained. Eragon nodded and started to sift through the papers in front of him, stacking them carefully so that they wouldn't get all out of order. Across the table from his Arya was doing the same thing.

They worked in silence for a while; the only sounds in the room were the rustling of the papers and the humming of the lights above them. Eragon scanned the documents looking for case numbers and information that was relevant to their case search.

"God there are a LOT of these files." He groaned an hour later, putting the folder he had been looking at down and stretching. Looking up he found Arya was watching him as she held her pen over the paper. There was a small smile on her face that almost looked tender.

"Welcome to my world." She said. Leaning back in her chair she chucked her pen on the table. "I seem to spend half my time here, looking through these bloody things."

"Is that what I have to look forward to then?"

"If you stay in this business then yes I guess so." Arya smiled and picked up her pen again.

"Fantastic." Eragon said sarcastically.

The carried on in the same way for the next couple of hours, the folders were stacking higher and higher around them, with the pile of relevant files staying relatively small. Eragon was surprised to find that conversation was in fact flowing rather easily, Arya seemed happy for a change, she was talking freely and even cracked the odd joke. Eragon found himself wishing that they didn't have to leave the room.

Eragon stood up and cracked his neck.

"I'll go and get another box." He said. Arya nodded, her eyebrows furrowed as she concentrated on the paper in front of her. Making his way back to the aisle where they had been working from Eragon reached up to the top shelf and pulled down another of the box. Walking back to the table he placed it down and opened the flaps. Putting his hand into the box he reached for the first file.

At the same time that Arya did.

They both froze; Eragon looked down at where her hand rested over his and then back up to Arya. Her gaze was locked on him and once again he found himself drowning in her emerald eyes. He found his breath catching in his throat and the room seemed to suddenly constrict around them. Eragon found himself leaning in before he could stop himself, inch by inch he moved closer and closer towards her, all the while maintaining eye contact.

He expected her to move away, but to his amazement she stayed where she was and made no move to push him back. He was an inch away from her now and he could feel her breath on his cheek, he could see the indecision in her eyes, and this is what made him stop, mere centimetres away from her lips.

"Eragon." She breathed, the sound of her voice sending shivers down his back. Gathering his resolve Eragon made to close the gap between them. Even as Arya moved closer to him.

The sound of the door at the back of the room resounded loudly round the room shattered the moment. Arya blinked and pulled back rapidly, breathing heavily, her eyes wide. Eragon stood up, unsure of what to do.

"Arya." He said softly. Arya swallowed and bit her lip.

"I think we should get back to work." She said, turning away and allowing her hair to fall down over her face. With a heavy sigh Eragon ran a hand through his hair and sat back down at the table heavily.

The noise had been Jeod, asking if they had wanted anything to eat. Eragon found himself cursing the man and his interruption, he had been so close.

They worked in almost silence from then on, Eragon couldn't help but keep stealing glances at Arya, and she was always working hard and keeping her eyes firmly on her work. They shared the odd word when they found something of interest, but other than that Eragon found himself retreating into his own thoughts.

Confusion was one of the biggest things weighing on his mind. On the one hand there was Emily, a lovely girl who seemed to be genuinely interested in him and with whom he could probably pursue a relationship with.

But then there was Arya, Eragon had no reason to suspect that she felt any of the things for him that he felt for her. She was closed off, sometimes rude and difficult to read. But yet there were moments, like the one they had just had, moments of almost passion. It was these moments that set Eragon's blood on fire and fuelled feelings in him that had never felt before. When Arya was in a room he found himself gravitating towards her without realising it, and when he was alone he could not get her off of his mind however hard he tried.

Eragon sighed and rubbed his face.

"I think we're done here." Arya said suddenly. "Can you put these boxes away whilst I get the files we need and put them away?"

"Yeah sure." Eragon said, not looking at her. He started stacking up the boxes they had finished with and taking the top two moved back to the bookcase. As he slotted each box into the shelf he found himself getting angry for the first time, he knew that Arya was unlikely to return his affections, but her reactions earlier were beginning to confuse him.

"You're so stupid." He muttered to himself angrily. He was beginning to tire a little of Arya's mixed messages and was getting more than a little angry at himself. Stuffing the last box on the shelf he headed back to the table where Arya was all packed up.

"Ready to go?" she asked, as she slipped the files they needed into her bag. Eragon nodded without replying.

The roads were clear on the way back, but Arya kept to a normal speed limit. She seemed very distracted, staring directly ahead, her eyes almost blank.

Eragon for his part had nothing to say, he was still stewing in his own thoughts and even if he wanted to say anything he had no idea what he would say. He had hung around Arya enough to know that when she got into moods like this that trying to talk to her was useless, should be closed off and evasive and judging by what had happened between them earlier she would more than likely stay this way for a long time.

* * *

For a week after their almost kiss Arya and Eragon continued to avoid speaking to each other. Saphira noticed the change and often asked Eragon if anything had happened. Each time Eragon had assured her that nothing was wrong, she didn't seem to believe him but had no choice to accept it because he wasn't going to admit to her what had happened.

Saphira hadn't only been questioning Eragon, she had noticed how Arya had changed the last few weeks, she seemed to be getting happier, she smiled more, talked more and socialised more. But in the last week it seemed that all of that had vanished, even Saphira who Arya was closest too and usually told her more than she told anyone else found it difficult to penetrate the hard facade that Arya had put up again.

"Hey, what's going on with you and Eragon?" Saphira asked Arya as they were working in Arya's office one day.

"What do you mean?" Arya replied without looking up from her work.

"You two were getting on so well the last few weeks and now you won't even be in the same room as each other. So what's going on?"

"It's nothing; it's just been a busy week." Arya said, "Everything's fine Saphira." She looked up and shot her friend a reassuring smile. "You don't have to worry." Saphira frowned; there was something in Arya's eyes that told her that she wasn't telling the truth. Realising she wouldn't get any more out of her Saphira reluctantly dropped the subject.

Picking up the newspaper that had been dropped off earlier Saphira began to flick through the pages until she got to the business section. As she turned the page a familiar face caught her attention. Frowning she looked closer.

"I don't believe it." She breathed. Arya looked up,

"What's wrong?" Saphira smoothed the paper down on her desk and pointed to a picture that sat above the story she had been reading.

"Look at that." Leaning over the desk, Arya stared at the picture for a moment. Realisation dawned on her face and she gasped.

"I knew that he looked familiar." The picture was of two men, underneath was a caption that read.

_Morzan Forsworn and his son Murtagh taken earlier this month at the annual Empire charity benefit._

"I knew there was something wrong with him." Saphira said. "Do you think Eragon knows who he really is?" Arya frowned and thought for a moment.

"He asked me about Morzan a few weeks ago, wanted to know if I'd ever met him." Saphira leant back in her chair.

"He's dangerous." She said quietly. "I knew from the first time I met him that there was something wrong with him."

"You want to tell Eragon?" Arya could read her perfectly. "Remember what happened the last time you tried to talk to him about Murtagh, it didn't end so well."

"But this time I know definitely that he's a piece of work." Saphira was on her feet. "Are you going to help me?" Arya looked at her friend in silence, Saphira waited for a few seconds before walking towards the door. With a groan Arya followed her.

"Saphira wait!"

They found Eragon at his desk, deep in a book.

"Eragon I need to talk to you about something." Saphira said. Eragon looked up and looked slightly surprised to see both Saphira and Arya there.

"Ok, what's up?" Saphira put the paper down in front of him and pointed to the picture that showed Murtagh and his father. Eragon looked at the photo for a second before looking back up at Saphira. "What about it?"

"Did you know who he was?" Saphira demanded.

"Yes." Eragon replied simply. "Orik recognised him a few weeks ago." Arya caught on.

"The same day you asked me about Morzan." Eragon raised an eyebrow but nodded.

"Eragon, I know you don't like me telling you what to do but I don't think you should see Murtagh anymore." Eragon's face darkened.

"Are we really doing this again?" he said standing up so he was almost eye level with Saphira.

"Yes, because I think he could be dangerous."

"Dangerous?" Eragon snorted, "You don't know him."

"But we know his father." Arya said quietly. Eragon turned his gaze on her and she was surprised to see the anger swirling in his eyes, an anger stronger than she had ever seen before. In that moment she realised he was not just angry about this conversation, he was angry about what had happened between them the week before.

"Just because his father's a bad man doesn't mean he is." Eragon defended his friend. "I know him, and you can't judge someone by the actions of their parents." He paused. "If we did that then I would be judged very poorly by the performance of my own parents, a mother who was never there and I father I don't even know, who never cared I was born." Saphira looked perplexed by his outburst.

"This is different Eragon, I've met Morzan, and when I met Murtagh I saw the same sort of malice in him that's in his father."

"I hate to have to say it, but Saphira's right." Arya stepped up and placed a hand on Eragon's arm. He flinched at the contact and took a step back, a hard look in his eyes.

"Both of you need to stop this right now, I'm not a child. I don't need you both constantly trying to interfere with my life." He turned to Saphira. "We've had this conversation before and I thought you had understood."

"That was before." Saphira replied.

"Eragon we don't want you to get hurt." Arya implored.

"I'll be fine." Eragon replied frostily. Grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair he swung it over his shoulders. "If you'll both excuse me I need a walk." Before either of them could say anything else he had walked out of the office.

* * *

Eragon stormed through the office, fuming internally. He had known that sooner of later Saphira would find out who Murtagh was and he knew that she wouldn't be happy, but he had not expected a spectacle like the one he had just seen. What made it worse was the looks Arya had been given him, it had been a mix between pity and an almost sadness.

Since their almost kiss, Eragon had tried his hardest to stay away from her, because he couldn't bear seeing _that_ look in her eyes. He didn't want to see the pity, like he was some boy that didn't know what he was doing. He wanted to talk to her about what had happened, but it seemed very clear that she wasn't going to engage in conversation with him about it, and then she had the audacity to come along and take part in lecturing him about his friendships and pretend that she cared.

Eragon wasn't looking where he was walking and when he finally looked up to take stock of where he was he realised that he was in the accounting offices. He had been here a couple of times to sort out problems with his pay checks. One of the guys working at one of the desks looked up.

"Hey, it's Eragon right?" he said standing up. Eragon looked up and searched his memory banks for the man's name.

"Err yeah hi..." he trailed off, unable to think of a name,

"Chris." The man smiled.

"Ah right yeah Chris," he said. "Sorry I'm not really with it today." Chris grinned.

"That's ok. What brings you down to our neck of the woods?"

"Just needed to stretch my legs, been sat behind a desk all day." Chris nodded.

"I know what you mean mate. I'm behind this desk 13 hours a day sometimes." Pulling up another chair he offered up another one to Eragon.

"Want to sit for a while?" Eragon thought for a couple of seconds before nodding and sitting down.

Eragon found it nice to speak to someone new. For the last few weeks he had been so wrapped up in his work that it had to been hard to meet new people as he had been for the rest of the time that he had been at Varden. Whilst he was talking to Chris he was able to forget the other things that were happening. During the time he was down in accounting he felt his phone vibrate several times. The first time he pulled it out and saw Saphira's name flashing on the screen. Pressing the reject button he put the phone down, it continued to ring over the course of the next half an hour. Chris kept shooting him weird looks as Eragon kept ignoring his phone. Finally Eragon got sick of hearing it vibrate and picked it up, only to stop when he saw Arya's name on the screen. She was calling him. She was worried about him.

"Sorry man, I need to get back up to the office." He told Chris, still looking at his phone.

"Yeah no worries man, we can grab that drink next week with some of the guys if you fancy it?"

"Yeah that'd be great," Eragon shook Chris's hand before hurrying back up towards his office.

* * *

Arya slumped down on her sofa and sighed heavily. It had been a long day and it had been made worse by the altercation that she and Saphira had had with Eragon earlier in the day. When he'd stormed out of the office Saphira had tried calling him several times, only to reach his voicemail. Then Arya had offered to try, but had gotten the same result.

She could not forget the look in his eyes as he had walked away. It had been hard, but at the same time she had seen the hurt in his dark eyes. Not for the first time that week she cast her mind back to what had happened between them the week before. She could not deny that when he had leant towards her she had moved as well, she had wanted to kiss him. The thought of it terrified her, she had not felt urges like that since Fäolin, and she didn't know what to do with them. She had spent the last two years hardening herself, so that the hurt she had felt when she was with Fäolin would never come back.

But Eragon was slowly but surely breaking down all of her defences, each time she saw his young carefree smile she found herself smiling too, even if she didn't do it externally. He made her laugh and he seemed to genuinely like her. But she didn't know if she would ever be able to give him what he wanted, she was still too wary.

Seeing the red light blinking on her answer machine she leaned over and hit the button.

"Arya darling," her mother's voice drawled out of the speaker. "Just calling to check you hadn't forgotten the anniversary next week. You told me that you'd come." Arya sighed as her mother rambled on and on about how everyone was looking forward to seeing her.

"Well call me back when you can and we can sort things out." Her mother finished finally. "Bye darling!" the phone beeped again signalling the end of the message. Arya sat in silence for a moment before rising from her chair.

"I need a drink."

* * *

**Sorry about the almost kiss, but I wanted to tease you all a bit. And Eragon is firmly in Arya's head now! So hope you enjoyed that and as always leave me a review letting me know what you thought. There was almost fluff so I want lots of reviews :) **

**Pirate-x-Girls**


	12. Chapter 11

**I apologise for the wait on this chapter. I've had a couple of rough weeks and didn't feel like writing all that much. But to make up for it this is a BEAST of a chapter, almost 10,000 words! It's my favourite chapter so far and I'm hoping it will be yours too! This is where the story starts to get a real plot. I'm hoping to start work on the next chapter in the next couple of days. But for now enjoy this chapter! **

* * *

**Flashes**

**Chapter 11**

The next few days were difficult for both Eragon and Saphira. Eragon didn't speak to her, other than what was needed at work. Luckily for him they were moving into their busiest week at Varden so any talking that was done during the day had to be about work. Everyone in their department was rushed off their feet, Eragon found himself working with Orik most of the time, which suited him fine.

It seemed that everywhere Eragon went that week Arya was there. Whenever he looked up it seemed she was either entering the room he was in or leaving it. They rarely spoke, Eragon still didn't know what he wanted to say, all he knew what that at some point they would have to talk about what had happened. For her part Arya would sometimes get a look on her face which made him think she was going to try and talk to him, but each time they both chickened out.

Eragon was working at his desk when Murtagh came back to work for the first time since he'd had his fight with Orik.

"You ok?" his friend asked as he sauntered over to Eragon's desk. Eragon shrugged and leant back.

"It's busy so I'm pretty swamped right now." He sighed stretching his arms he yawned. "I'm so sick of this office right now."

"I know what you mean." Murtagh nodded, this caused Eragon to laugh.

"You spend less than an hour a day in an office." He scoffed. "You spend most of your day on your motorbike."

"I know its great isn't it?" Murtagh grinned.

At that moment Saphira came out of her office, opening her mouth to speak to Eragon. As soon as she saw Murtagh she snapped her mouth shut.

"Oh." She said a frown gracing her usually smiling features. She dropped a file on Eragon's desk. "Can you read that and have it back within the hour please." Eragon nodded without replying and Saphira disappeared back into her office.

"Wow." Murtagh said. "The temperature just dropped a couple of degrees in here." He pretended to shiver. "Saphira really doesn't like me does she?" Eragon shrugged again and reached out for the file.

"Right." Murtagh said putting his hands on Eragon's desk, over the file he was supposed to be reading. "You need a night out, a proper lad's night out. You, me Saturday night."

"Sounds good." Eragon agreed. "Is it cool if I invite some of the guys from accounting, I said I'd go for a drink with them this week?" Murtagh nodded and stood up straight.

"Of course! The more the merrier!" Eragon couldn't help but laugh as Murtagh walked off towards the lift.

* * *

Saphira watched the interactions between Murtagh and Eragon outside her office with a heavy scowl. Eragon was laughing at something the other man had said, and it caused a pang of sadness to tug at Saphira's heart. That was the first time she had seen Eragon laugh since they had had their fight about Murtagh.

Saphira missed Eragon, it hadn't been the same in her flat since he had stopped talking to her. Not that she hadn't tried, every night when they got in from work she would attempt to engage him in conversation, but each time he would knock her back and disappear into his room. They hadn't eaten together in the same room for almost a week and Saphira didn't know how much longer she could stand it. In all the time that they had been friends they had never fought like that, and Saphira didn't know what to do to make it better.

Seeing Murtagh flash another smile Saphira felt the anger boiling in her stomach once again. Every time she saw the man she got the swirling in her gut that told her there was something wrong with him, and the face that he was Morzan's son only made it worse. Saphira could still remember the few times she had met the man at various conferences; he was a tall intimidating man who never seemed to smile. His hard stare seemed to cut through Saphira, as if the man could see all her fears and secrets. It was creepy and Saphira had felt uneasy until she had been out of the man's sight.

There was a knock at the door, Saphira put her pen down and looked up.

"Come in." The door opened and Arya slipped in. She looked tired and her face was drawn. She sank slowly down into a chair.

"How's it going?" she asked. Saphira shrugged.

"It's the usual. Things aren't getting done, so I'm spending more time doing the things that other people should be doing and that means that the important things that need to be done are being put on hold."

"I know what you mean." Arya groaned, rubbing her eyes. "I've spent more time clearing up other people's mess then I have doing any actual work." She yawned and rubbed her eyes again.

"You look tired." Saphira noted. Arya nodded.

"I haven't been sleeping so well." She admitted. "It's the anniversary of my father's death this weekend, and my mother has requested my presence there." Saphira shot her a sympathetic look.

"Oh I'm sorry. Are you going?" Arya sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"I don't really have a choice." Saphira nodded. "If I don't go I'll never hear the end of it." Arya pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked the screen. "Have you spoken to Eragon at all yet?" she asked, in a bid to change the subject.

"No, every time I try he walks away. The only time we speak is when it's to do with work." Saphira sighed heavily. "I don't know what to do."

"I'll try and talk to him." Arya said gently. Saphira looked up and nodded.

"Thank you."

* * *

Arya couldn't work out how to approach Eragon. There had been many times in the office during the last few days when she could have spoken to him, but each time she found herself chickening out. This was very out of character for her, one of the traits Arya prided herself on was the ability to face any problem she had head on, without fear. But it seemed that around Eragon, she was unable to face her problem, every time she saw the look in his eyes, she found all the words that she had carefully prepared in her mind die in her throat.

She found him in the canteen, getting his lunch. Walking slowly she made her way towards him as he sat down at one of the tables. He didn't look up until she sank down into the chair opposite, and he only glanced up briefly then before returning to his food.

"Can I talk to you?" Arya asked, after a few seconds of silence.

"Sure." Eragon replied, not looking up from his plate. Arya paused before she spoke, trying to work out which issue she should broach first.

"Saphira says you still haven't spoken to her since last week." She paused, waiting for Eragon to input. Upon his silence she carried on speaking. "We've had this conversation before Eragon, you and I both know that Saphira only wants what's best for you."

"I wish you would both stop saying that." Eragon said his voice hard. "What's best for me is what I decide is best for me." He finally looked up and met her eye. "Do I ever tell you how you should be living your life, do I ever tell Saphira?"

"Well no..."

"No. I don't tell you that your way of handling things that happened is ridiculous and rather counterproductive." Arya was shocked by his words. Eragon had never ventured to talk about her personal life before, he always avoided it and she had been thankful for that.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. Eragon put down his fork and looked at her again.

"You know what I'm talking about. Something happens and you don't want to talk about it, you don't want to deal with it." He paused and Arya could predict what he was about to say next. "Like last week."

"What about last week?" Arya said, immediately on the defensive.

"You know what about," was all Eragon said. Arya frowned.

"What happened..." she said warily. "...isn't something that needs to be discussed."

"Is that really what you think?" Eragon raised his eyebrows.

"Yes." Arya said, more to herself than him.

"Then that's all I have to say." Eragon stood up and left, leaving Arya sat alone at the table.

"Damn." She muttered.

* * *

Eragon made his way down to the accounting department after lunch. His mind still reeling from the conversation he'd just had with Arya. As she had been talking he had felt the anger growing inside him, seeing the look in her eyes, watching her change her expression so that she was completely devoid of emotion. Acting as if what had transpired between them was nothing, taking a deep breath Eragon forced himself to calm down.

Chris was sat at his desk frowning at his computer screen when Eragon walked into the office.

"Hey." Eragon said as he approached the desk. Chris looked up and grinned.

"Eragon, hey, how's it going?" he reached over to shake his hand.

"Yeah I'm good. Listen you up for a night out on Saturday? I need to unwind."

"Yeah I'd be game, I'll ask a couple of the guys down here."

"Cool," Eragon smiled. "I'll let you know what's happening." He turned and began to make his way back up to the office.

He was waiting for the elevator when he heard footsteps coming up behind him. Turning his head he saw Arya walking along the corridor, when she saw him she stopped.

"Eragon." The way she said his name still sent shivers down his spine, but he forced himself to try and ignore it.

"Arya." The lift door opened and he stepped inside.

"Come on Eragon." Arya moved forward, but the doors were closing and she disappeared from sight.

With a heavy sigh Eragon leant against the back of the lift, he knew full well that his behaviour then had been rather childish, but at that moment he didn't really care. Feeling his phone vibrate he pulled it out of his pocket. It was Emily, asking if he wanted to go for a drink that night. Eragon texted back, saying that he would love to. He needed a break from the office, and Emily would provide a welcome distraction.

* * *

"You look like shit." Emily laughed as Eragon sat down at the bar.

"You're so charming." Eragon accepted the drink she gave him and took a long swig from it.

"I know, it's one of the reasons I'm so popular." She replied with her trademark grin. "So what's up?"

"Nothing, I'm just incredibly stressed." Eragon sighed. "How are things with you?"

"Yeah they're good, I've got a placement coming up that's taking a lot of out of me organisation wise but other than that I'm great."

"That's good to hear." Eragon smiled and took another sip of his drink.

"So want to tell me what's going on?" Eragon looked up surprised as Emily spoke again; she was watching him, one eyebrow raised.

"What do you mean?"

"Come on Eragon! Anyone with two eyes can see that you're pissed off about something. You're all tense." Eragon opened his mouth to protest but upon seeing Emily's expression he sighed.

"I had a fight with Saphira." He admitted finally.

"About what?" Emily asked. Eragon took another sip of his drink before replied.

"Saphira has...particular views about some of my friends." He said. "And most of the time I can put up with it, I pass it off as her being protective of me. But this time I guess I just snapped."

"What does she think is wrong with some of your friends?" Emily asked.

"One of them, his father is...not the nicest man in the world and she seems to think that he's like his father."

"Ah." Emily said. "I know it's probably not what you want to hear, so don't get mad, but Saphira is just looking out for you. I saw it when I met her; she's so protective of you. Maybe she doesn't see what she's doing as a bad thing; she just wants to make sure that you don't get hurt."

"Humph." Eragon grunted.

"You know I'm right." Emily said with a smirk. "I'm always right."

"Shut up." Eragon shook his head. "Do you want another drink?"

"Why thank you!" Emily grinned leaving Eragon at the bar she flounced away.

"Are you going to try and talk to Saphira?" Emily asked as they were starting their third drink. Eragon stared into his glass before he answered. He was forcibly reminded of the conversation that he had had with Arya not so long ago about a similar thing.

"Probably." He muttered, trying not to remember the smile Arya had given him when he had assured her that he would make things up with Saphira.

"Good." Emily smiled, "Now try to smile and have some fun. I don't want to be hanging around with someone who's gonna be this moody, you're cramping my style."

"What style?" Eragon snorted.

"There we go!"

* * *

Arya placed a neatly folded shirt into the small bag in front of her and stepped back; looking at her watch she sighed and zipped up the bag on her bed. She was due to leave for her mother's house within the hour for the anniversary of her father's death. She had managed to get a couple of days off of work for it, but was dreading it. Any time with her mother was arduous at best, and that was only when she was around her for a few hours. Arya had a whole three days to survive through.

It was dark by the time Arya pulled up in her mother's driveway. There were a couple of other cars in the drive and on the road and she could see movement behind the curtains.

"Here we go." She muttered to herself before getting out of the car grabbing her bag as she did so.

Ringing the doorbell she stepped back as she heard voices behind the door. When it was opened her mother stood beaming in the doorway.

"Arya!" she greeted her daughter with a hug, Arya patted her mother gently on the back before extracting herself from her embrace.

"Mother." She said shortly. Her mother stepped back and escorted her through to the living room where several people were waiting. Some of them were family members that Arya had not seen for years, and others were friends who lived nearby. Arya was somewhat relieved to see Claire and Angela, two of the friends that she actually still spoke too. Making her way over to them she hugged them both.

"It's been so long!" Claire grinned, pulling back and examining her. "You look thinner, have you been eating well enough." Claire was a chef and often took it upon herself to feed Arya when she saw her.

"I've been eating fine thank you, it's just been a busy few weeks at work."Arya told her. Angela all but elbowed Claire out of the way so that she could pull Arya into a hug.

"I think you look great!" she said, causing Arya to laugh. Angela was a pharmacist and one of the most eccentric people that Arya knew.

"Thank you. It's good to see you both." Arya sat down on the sofa with one on either side.

They had only just started to chat when Arya's mother swooped down on her.

"There you are Arya! You say hello and then you just disappear," Arya sighed and allowed her mother to drag her away, casting pleading looks back to her friends who were trying to conceal their grins.

Arya's mother insisted she had some food and pottered around fussing until she was satisfied that Arya had eaten enough.

"I'm so glad you could come dear, it...makes it easier." Her mother said quietly as Arya washed up the dishes. Arya sensed the sadness in her mother's voice and felt a little bit guilty. As complicated as their relationship was, her mother had been married to her father for almost 30 years when she had lost him, and it had left her feeling very lonely. Drying her hands on the towel next to the sink she pulled her mother into the first sincere hug that they had shared in many months.

"I'm glad I'm here."

* * *

Sleep did not come easily for Arya that night, she lay in the room that had been hers since she was a young girl and stared unseeing at the ceiling. The rest of the evening had been going round the various relatives and friends and saying hello, she had repeated the same thing over and over again, yes she was still with Varden, no she wasn't seeing anyone, and no she didn't have any immediate plans to get into a relationship. She had also received a lot of pitying looks and pats to her shoulder when people had started talking about Fäolin. Arya knew that it would be a topic of conversation, Fäolin's death had shocked many people, and even now, two years on people still could not believe that it had happened.

"It was so awful he was taken." One ageing family member lamented to Arya. "There was never a nicer man." She patted Arya's hand sympathetically. "You have been so strong dear." Arya had gone through the motions, smiling and saying thank you where it was needed.

Arya turned her head towards the window; through a crack in the curtains she could see the full moon. Arya had not felt comfortable sleeping in her parents' house for a long time, and tonight was no different, with the anniversary and everything that was happening back at Varden Arya had a lot going on in her head.

Closing her eyes Arya tried to relax, instead she found herself thinking about Eragon, and the look in his eyes when he had broached the subject of their almost kiss. His words in the canteen had stung more because Arya had known that they were true, but she wasn't about to admit that he was. Because that would leave her vulnerable, and Arya had promised herself that she would never be like that again, that she would always be in control, and admitting to Eragon what had actually happened that day would be giving up that control.

Arya finally drifted off into sleep, but it was a fitful one and when she woke up early the next morning she still felt as tired as she had the night before. Throwing back the covers she quietly got dressed and slipped out of the house for a run.

With her music blaring through her ears and her feet pounding rhythmically along the pavement, Arya felt her tension melting away. She liked running and often used it when she needed to clear her head and think a problem through. She knew the area well and had a regular running route so she allowed her feet to take her down familiar paths as she tried to sort out what she was feeling in her head.

Arya rarely discussed her feelings with anyone; Saphira was one of the only people that she actually spoke to about her feelings. But when it came to Eragon, Arya didn't feel comfortable with talking about what had happened, mostly because she knew that Saphira probably wouldn't be able to help her, and also because she had assured Saphira that she would not do anything to give hope to Eragon's affections, and their almost kiss was the exact opposite of that.

Arya paused at a bridge to catch her breath and look out at the scenery in front of her. Her mother lived in a small village out in the country, and the bridge she was on was small and made of stone that was crumbling onto the pavement. A stream trickled under the bridge and wound its way into a small valley that opened up into rolling grass hills and a thick carpet of trees in the distance. Arya had always liked the countryside, but her ambition had forced her into a city and wouldn't let her leave.

The sun had fully risen by the time Arya made it back to the house, stepping in through the back door she heard her mother talking to someone in the kitchen. She was about to announce herself when she heard her name mentioned.

"...don't understand what keeps Arya so busy at work. The last I could grasp she had a partner, and so surely that should mean that she should have more time off." Arya stayed hidden behind the wall, curious to hear what else her mum had to say.

"It's business dear." One of Arya's aunts said. "You know Arya, she's always been married to her job."

"I just wish she could have been married to Fäolin, he would have convinced her to move closer, they could have gotten that nice cottage that was going a couple of streets away." Arya could hear her mother sighing. Trying to keep her frustration in check she took a deep breath. She knew her mother wanted to keep her close by because she was lonely, but Arya often felt suffocated by the attention.

"Some things are out of our hands." The aunt replied sympathetically. Arya had heard enough and making a loud noise with the door she acted as if she had just come in through the door.

"Darling." Her mother jumped slightly as she made her presence known. "I didn't know you were up, where have you been."

"I went for a run." Arya said simply, wrapping her headphones round her iPod. "I need a shower." She walked past her mother and headed for the door.

"Don't you want any breakfast?"

"No thanks. I'll have something when I come back down." Arya replied without looking back.

* * *

Throughout the day people began to arrive again. Arya was stuck once again playing nice with people that she barely knew. She had perfected the art over the last four years and could with now practiced ease keep a neutral expression whilst people droned on and on, whilst inside she was screaming in frustration.

Arya looked down at her glass and noticed that it was empty. With a frown she looked around for something to fill it up with. Suddenly a hand appeared, clutching a bottle of wine, Arya looked up to see Angela grinning at her.

"You look like you need this." Her friend smirked. Arya took the bottle gratefully and poured a generous amount into her glass before handing it back to Angela.

"You have no idea." She muttered. Sitting down next to Angela she looked round the room, the party was in full swing. Every year her mother's house would be crowded with people who her mother invited to celebrate her father's life. Arya looked away from the people to the portrait of her father that hung over the fireplace. He had been the kindest man she had ever known and he had doted on her. She felt the sadness that she worked so hard to keep down whenever she came home bubble up in her chest, it almost hurt.

"Do you think I spent too much time away from home whilst he was ill?" she asked Angela. Her friend slung an arm round her shoulder.

"No, you didn't. You were here whenever you could be, whenever your job allowed it. He understood why you spent so much time in the city." She said gently." Don't beat yourself up about this, it's not your fault."

Arya sighed. "I know, but what if I had been around?" she took another large gulp of her drink, she wasn't usually one for self pity. When things happened she dealt with them and moved on, not allowing herself to dwell on the past. But when it came to her father and his death Arya had many regrets and often questioned if what she had striving for during the time of his illness was worth not being there at the end of his life.

"You can't think like that." Angela said. "Life is full of if's and buts, by looking at what's been and gone we forget to look forward." Arya raised at eyebrow.

"That was very deep."

"What can I say, I'm actually a very intelligent person." Angela winked at her, taking a large swig of wine straight from the bottle.

* * *

For Eragon the weekend couldn't come quick enough, Emily's words had been ringing in his heads all week but he had yet to speak to Saphira about what had happened. Mostly this was because they were both so busy, Arya had taken some time off to go home, for what Eragon didn't know, but it meant that both he and Saphira were left to pick up the slack in her absence.

The time for talking did not come until late Friday evening; Eragon was sat in his room when he heard the front door open as Saphira came home. Not looking up from his computer he heard her moving around in the living room.

Shortly there was a knock at his bedroom door.

"Come in." Saphira poked her head nervously round the door.

"Am I interrupting?" she asked tentatively. Eragon turned in his chair and shook his head. Saphira edged into the room and sat on the edge of his bed. It was then that Eragon noticed for the first time how tired she looked, no matter how much strain she was under Saphira always managed to look fresh, but since they had been arguing her face had become more drawn, and Eragon felt the twinges of guilt.

"Listen Eragon, it seems like every time I apologise I'm doing it for the same reasons." Saphira sighed. "I don't want to fight, and I don't want you to think that I'm trying to rule your life for you, I know you had it with Garrow and Roran." She paused and leant forward. "But I only do it because I care for you, you're like my family Eragon, and the only one I've got." She looked so sad that Eragon couldn't hold himself back any longer.

"I'm sorry too." He said, "I was angrier that I should have been and I was stressed and I took it out on you, and that wasn't fair." Standing he went to sit next to her. "I know you don't approve of Murtagh, but he's spent his whole life being judged by people who don't know him, and when you get to know him he's a really nice guy who's just had a really shitty time."

Saphira reluctantly nodded and put her arm round him. "I'll do my best to change my opinion of him." She vowed. "So are we ok?" she motioned between the two of them. Eragon smiled and pulled her into a hug.

"You're my best friend." He said into her ear, "I'd be lost without you." Saphira hugged him tightly.

"I've missed you." She said when she pulled back.

"I've missed you too."

Eragon was jerked awake the next morning by the piercing shriek of his alarm clock. Groaning loudly he rolled over and hit the snooze button. Sitting up he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and then it dawned on him. Today was Saturday.

"Fucking hell." He groaned again falling back against his pillows.

Saphira was packing some of her work files in a bag when he emerged a while later.

"You're not going to work are you?" Eragon said as he pulled the milk out of the fridge. Saphira nodded.

"Yes, I've been called in on an emergency, usually it would be Arya dealing with it but whilst she's away it falls to me to sort it out."

"Do you need me to come in with you?"

"No, you stay home. It would just get more complicated." Saphira finished packing her bag and looked up. "What are you doing today?"

"Nothing much." Eragon shrugged. "But I'm going out with a few of the guys tonight." Saphira knew better than to ask who and nodded again.

"Ok, I don't know what time I'll be back but I'll keep you posted. Have a good time tonight." With that she was gone, leaving Eragon alone.

* * *

"Arya! Please, don't shut me out!" Arya gritted her teeth and willed herself to stay calm.

"I'm not shutting you out." She finally managed to say. "There's just nothing to say."

"Every year we do this." Her mother spat out, anger flashing in her eyes, "Every year I try and get to grips with what's going on in your head, and every year all I get is a wall."

"Then maybe it's time you stopped trying." Arya hissed.

The argument had started at lunch, after most of their guests had gone home, her mother had asked question after question about how she was feeling over lunch and hadn't relented even when Arya had made it plain that she didn't want to talk. Her mother, who was as stubborn as she was had refused to relent, pushing Arya until she had snapped and the shouting had begun.

"I'm not going to stop trying." Islanzadí replied, her expression as determined as her daughters. "You never shut yourself off like this before Fäolin." At the mention of her dead fiancé's name Arya's face hardened again.

"Do you have to bring him up every time I'm here?" she demanded.

"Yes. Because you never talk about it, no one knows what you're feeling; you can't cut yourself off from everyone Arya. You'll end up alone." Islanzadí took hold of Arya's hands; her eyes were shinning with unshod tears.

"Thanks for your concern _mother_." Arya spat the last work out sarcastically. "But I think I'll be fine."

"Arya, you're my only child and I love you so much. But you make it so difficult to help when you refuse to even look at me." She sighed and Arya saw a tear slip down onto her cheek. "Your father, he loved you too, he would be heartbroken if he could see you now." Arya felt the lump of sadness in her throat; she swallowed and dropped her hands.

"I'm sorry that I can't be the daughter you want." She said flatly, turning away she left the room and stormed out of the house.

Arya didn't care where she was going; she just needed to be out of the house. She didn't know what it was but her mother was able to get under her skin more than anybody else. Fuming silently she cast her eyes to the skies. It was late afternoon and the sun was beginning to set, sending bright colours shooting across the sky. Arya found herself at the bridge where she had stopped on her morning run the day before. Leaning against it she sighed and took comfort in the rough stone underneath her fingers.

Arya knew that her mother was worried about her, and that she did love her, but Arya had spent so long building her walls because of the treatment she had received at the hands of Fäolin, and now that he was gone she still couldn't bring them down, they were the only things standing between her and her emotions.

She didn't know how long she stood at the bridge, staring out into the sunset. Her anger slowly dimmed and was replaced by sadness. Arya had always been closer to her father, and since he had died it seemed that the gap between her mother had reached a place where going back looked impossible.

"It's a lovely evening." Arya jumped as she heard Claire's voice behind her. Turning round she saw that Claire was not alone; Angela was with her, offering her friend a lopsided grin.

"What are you two doing here?" she asked. Angela leant against the bridge next to her.

"Well, we went to your house to see if you wanted to grab a drink, but when we got there all we found was your _very_ irate mother, so we guessed we might find you here."

"What happened?" Claire asked.

"The usual." Arya sighed, looking at the river that sparkled in the late evening sun below the bridge. "I don't like fighting with her, but it seems that whenever I'm back here it just happens."

"It's not your fault." Claire said sympathetically. "This place brings up bad memories for you, and it's difficult for Islanzadí too." Arya nodded and sighed.

"I need to get out of here." she said. Angela's smile widened.

"I think what you need is a night out." Arya frowned. "Awww come on, we've not been on a night out in ages! Plus you've yet to show us night life in the city." Arya looked from Angela who was beaming to Claire who shrugged.

"She has a point."

"I do need a drink." She admitted. Angela clapped on her on the back.

"Tonight is gonna be awesome!"

* * *

Eragon and Murtagh started off the night in one of their favourite pubs whilst they waited for Chris and some of the other people who worked at Varden.

"You seem happier tonight." Murtagh noted. Eragon nodded.

"Yeah, it's nice to be able to relax, this night out has been long overdue."

"I'll say." Murtagh said, a girl sauntered past the table offering him a smile. He followed her with his eyes, a smirk appearing on his face.

"I have a feeling this night is going to be great!"

Chris arrived a little while later with two guys in tow.

"Hey man," he grinned as he spied Eragon and Murtagh. "This is Thorn and Bill." Thorn was a well built man with sandy hair and thick features. Eragon had seen him skulking round Varden; he looked nothing like an accountant. Bill on the other hand embodied nearly all of the accounting stereotypes; he was tall, skinny and wore glasses. Eragon reached out and shook both the men's hands.

"Nice to meet you guys, can I get you a drink?" all three men nodded and Eragon moved away to the bar.

Arya was glad that she'd listened to her friends and come out. It had been awkward to say the least when she had returned home to pack and head back into the city with Claire and Angela. But as usual she had come to an uneasy peace with her mother, enough to give her a hug as she left with the promise that she would be back as soon as she could.

Now here she was, in a small cocktail bar, a brightly coloured drink in front of her, and she could finally feel the tension melting away from her.

"Told you this is what you needed." Angela popped up beside her. Arya smiled at her friend.

"You were right...for once." Angela rolled her eyes reminding Arya of Saphira for a moment.

"I'm always right." Claire appeared with another round of drinks and set them down on the table.

"I've barely started this one." Arya protested.

"Well now you're prepared for when you finish it." Claire replied. Arya couldn't fight with her logic and so just shrugged and pulled both of her drinks closer towards her.

* * *

By midnight Eragon was very drunk. Murtagh true to form had dragged them all round to a handful of different bars before they had reached the club. Now they were outside standing in the line, and had been for a while.

"I thought you could get us in quickly." Eragon accused Murtagh.

The older man shrugged and peered up the queue.

"It usually works. Tonight must be different." Eragon shook his head and turned his attention back to trying to keep warm. There was a chill in the air and he had come out without a jacket.

"When are we getting in?" Thorn grumbled behind him. Eragon shrugged.

"Ask the asshole to my left." He grunted. Thorn poked Murtagh in the back and scowled at him when he turned round, the two men had hit it off instantly.

"You lied." He said bluntly.

"I didn't lie." Murtagh replied. "I just was a bit stingy with the truth. I can usually get in first, but since I got kicked out of here a few weeks ago they make me wait now."

"You dick." Thorn muttered. In front of them people were moving, slowly but surely they were getting closer.

"I knew I still had it!" Angela hooted gleefully as they slipped in through the front entrance of the club.

"Still had what?" Arya laughed.

"My sexual appeal of course." Angela winked. "Those bouncers were practically falling over themselves to let us in." Arya glanced at Claire who was rolling her eyes.

"Angela, you're 25! You're not gonna lose your sexual appeal any time soon." She tutted. Angela shrugged and made a beeline for the bar causing Arya to laugh, the small woman was a bundle of energy who hadn't stopped since they had gotten out of the taxi.

Arya herself was finding that the drink was doing wonders for her. She was quite drunk and was enjoying the buzz and it allowed her for one night to stop thinking about all the things that were plaguing her mind. She followed her friends willingly and even participated in a round of shots. Wincing as the liquor burned the back of her throat and slid down to linger in her chest.

"It's busy in here tonight." Claire yelled in her ear. Arya cast her eyes round the club, people were already packing onto the dance floor and the booths that lined the side of the lower level of the club, the metal winding staircases spread in the four corners lead to a top floor where there were another two bars and more seating areas.

"Plenty of talent in here tonight." Angela rubbed her hands together gleefully.

"Talent?"

"Yep talent. Men. Maybe we'll even find someone for you here." Angela said, noting Arya's expression of shock she laughed. "Don't worry, we're not looking for anything long term, but who knows maybe a passionate shag will be just the thing you need." Arya rolled her eyes again, Angela had no qualms about one night stands, but Arya had never seen the appeal.

"Leave her alone Angela," Claire scolded the smaller woman, earning an eye roll for her trouble.

The bouncer looked Eragon and Murtagh up and down and raised an eyebrow.

_He's not going to let me in. _Eragon thought. _I knew I should have stood next to Chris when we came in_.

"In you go." The bouncer finally said, but as Murtagh and Eragon went to go past him he grabbed Murtagh by the front of his shirt and yanked him upwards, so that his feet were dangling a couple of inches off the floor. "If I have _any_ trouble from you tonight, you'll be taking all of your future drinks in through a tube." He growled. Murtagh nodded.

"Of course, no trouble from me." He said meekly. The bouncer set him down on his feet and they both scurried into the club.

"Jesus Christ, what the hell did you do to piss him off so much?" Eragon said in astonishment looking back at the door where the bouncer was still watching them out of the corner of his eye.

"I can't remember." Murtagh admitted. "I was very drunk, and that part of the night is a big blur, I remember a fight though." He thought for a moment. "I think I lost." Eragon laughed.

"Well don't do anything like that tonight, because I am NOT bailing you out!" he warned. Murtagh gave him a smile that Eragon didn't like.

"Can't promise anything there." He winked. By this time the others had joined them, and they were all laughing about what had happened with the bouncer at the door.

"You are wild mate!" Thorn boomed thumping his new best friend on the shoulder. "I think that deserves a round of shots!"

"You read my mind!" Murtagh grinned and began to push his way through the people to the bar.

* * *

Within half an hour Eragon had lost everyone that he had come into the club with. He wasn't sure how it had happened, but one minute he had been laughing and drinking with them, the next he was surrounded by a sea of people that he didn't know. For a couple of minutes he stood, rooted to the spot, his drunken brain trying to process what it is he should do next. Deciding that the bar was the best place to find people he turned on his heel and began to slink through the people to the closest bar he could find, which luckily for him happened to be largely empty except for one woman.

Eragon leant against the bar and sighed, running a hand through his hair. There was no barman so Eragon had a couple of moments to try and get his bearings, the club was sweltering and he could feel a sheen of sweat covering his body.

Looking to his right Eragon noticed the woman who was standing down the bar from him. She looked very familiar and Eragon squinted and slyly moved a little closer so he could get a better look. She was slim and dressed in beautiful blue dress that hugged her body in all the right places.

It was at the moment that she turned to face the bar and he could see her profile, and recognition dawned.

"Arya."

Somehow she heard him over the roar of the music and turned fully to face him, shock flitted across her face first, and then she smiled almost nervously.

"Eragon. What are you doing here?"

"Dancing, drinking. Fun." Eragon said. Arya nodded. When she looked up again he could see that she was quite drunk, her eyes were a little unfocused and she seemed to be leaning on the bar more than necessary.

"Well this is awkward." He said trying to alleviate the tension, with a smile. Arya smiled as well.

"Yes." It was at this moment that the barman reappeared and gave them something else to focus on.

"Can I get you a drink?" Eragon asked, fully expecting her to say no, but instead she smiled and nodded.

"Yeah thanks," Eragon ordered two bottles and pulled out his wallet. Passing one of the bottles to Arya he took a drink from his own, realising that he should probably stop drinking now that she was here.

"Who are you here with?" he asked, pocketing his change. Arya looked around.

"Some people from home. What about you?"

"Some people from the office." Arya looked a little surprised, they both became silent again, and sipped casually at their drinks.

"Do you fancy a shot?" Eragon asked a few minutes, feeling bold that she had allowed him to buy her a drink. All of the anger that he had been feeling towards her was being suppressed by the insane amount of alcohol that was coursing through his blood. Once again Arya surprised him by nodding.

"Sure why not," Eragon grinned and turned his attention back to the bar and waved his hand to get the barman's attention. As the shots were placed in front of them he gave Arya another smile and picked up his glass so that he could clink it against hers.

"Cheers." Tipping the liquor down his throat he winced. Arya was doing the same.

"I wouldn't have expected to see you out tonight." Eragon commented as she placed her glace back down on the bar.

"I felt like I deserved a night out." She said, sipping at her beer. "It's been a...difficult weekend."

"Why what happened?"

"I went home to see my mother."

"And how did that go?" Eragon asked. Arya help up her drink with a smirk.

"Not as good as it could have been." She said. "My mother has a way of getting under my skin. She's headstrong, and we often argue."

"That sounds tough." Arya nodded and pushed herself away from the bar.

"Yes. But I didn't come out to talk about my mother, I'm going to dance. Are you coming?" she shot him a smirk over her shoulder as she brushed past him and made her way towards the dance floor. Eragon followed immediately, entranced by the subtle movements of her hips and she weaved her way through the crowds of people to find a space where they could dance.

Eragon could feel his latest shot as the alcohol raced around his body; he could feel himself getting a little lightheaded and his movements becoming more and more erratic.

He was once again captivated by Arya's dancing, he had been out with her before, but this was the first time that they had been on their own on the dance floor, and it seemed that perhaps Arya was as drunk as he was, if not more so. It was yet another side of Arya that Eragon had not seen, and another one that he vastly enjoyed.

After half an hour of dancing Eragon was once again parched, motioning to Arya he moved to the bar and leant against it to get his breath back. Arya appeared at his side a moment later, her eyes sparkling in the strobe lights of the club.

"You buying?" she asked. Eragon arched an eyebrow.

"I think it's your round." He smirked. Arya tilted her head to the side and thought for a few seconds.

"Fine." She conceded. "What are you drinking?"

"Just a beer." Arya nodded and turning back to the bar ordered them a couple of drinks.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself." Eragon noted as Arya paid.

"It's been known to happen on occasion." Arya replied handing Eragon his beer. He laughed and drained a third of his beer in one go.

"It's nice to see." He said, sincerity creeping into his eyes. Arya licked her lips as her eyes locked with his. She looked like she might speak but after a moment of silence she just smiled.

"Drink up. We have more dancing to do." She took a large gulp of her beer and moved away from the bar and back into the throngs of people.

Back on the dance floor it was packed, and as a result they had to dance closer together, every so often the tips of Eragon's fingertips would brush against her body, and he revelled in the resulting shocks it sent coursing through his blood.

The song changed, and the beat changed, a faster one that caused Arya to move closer still. Her chest brushed against his and he resisted the urge to pull her closer. His eyes locked with hers and this time the emotion in them was blindingly clear, there was lust swirling in her emerald depths, she gave him a mischievous smile leaning ever closer, he knew what was about to happen next, and the sensible part of his brain was trying to reason with him, saying that if this happened, if he allowed it the ramifications could outweigh the pleasure.

But Eragon was too drunk to listen to his more cautious side. His eyes flickered down to her mouth and taking a deep breath her threw all of his inhibitions.

Time seemed to stop as their lips met, for a split second he could see everything, her eyes closing lazily as she leant up to meet him. The dancers around him, the thumping of the music reduced to a physical vibration reverberating towards him, it was like seeing clearly for the first time.

But then the second of clarity was over and time sped up again, whizzing by in a blur of sensations and raw emotion. Her lips were soft and tilting her head she pressed herself flush against him, he could taste the mint and alcohol on her breath, or is it his breath? He couldn't tell and he didn't care, his fingers were digging into her arms with a painful intensity and she let out a gasp into his mouth, her lips curling into a smile against his won.

The kiss could have lasted for a minute, it could have lasted forever. He could not fathom how much time had elapsed, nor did he want to. His mind was fixed firmly in the now, he could not dwell on images of the past, or drift to aspirations of the future, the here and the now was all that mattered.

What felt like an eternity later Arya's lips pulled back from his own. His eyes, which had drifted shut snapped open, as he caught one last glimpse of her emerald fires before they danced away from him into the throng of dancers, and like a fire extinguished in the dead of night they were gone.

Eragon stood, almost paralysed as the aftershocks of the kiss continued to course around his body. Arya had been swallowed up by the crowd, but the look in her eyes as she had walked away had been very clear. Shaking his head to try and clear it enough to move his feet Eragon set off after her.

For a couple of heart wrenching seconds he thought he had lost her, his eyes scanned the crowd furiously searching for her. Then as he tilted his head upwards in defeat he caught sight of her on one of the staircases that led up to the second level of the club. Scrambling through the people he took the stairs two at a time until he was almost behind her.

She led him up the rest of the stairs and onto the second floor. It was quieter up here, with about half of the booths full. Her destination was an empty booth in a corner of the floor, which seemed darker than the others. Looking over his shoulder Eragon followed her into the shadows, he was starting to feel nervous for the first time, the kiss had been everything he had been dreaming about since he had first seen Arya four months ago.

Arya's eyes glinted as she sank down into the booth and sat with one leg crossed over the other. Eragon hesitated a moment before he sat down, sliding close until his thing brushed against hers.

Both of them leaned forward again until their lips were mere centimetres apart, here they both stopped, each not knowing what quite to do next. It seemed that both came to the same conclusion at the same time, they both leant forward together, their lips colliding.

This kiss was slower than the first; Eragon could appreciate how soft Arya's lips were against his own. One of his hands wound its way up into her hair, pulling her against him. Her hand was on his chest, twisting a handful of his shirt. She was by no means meek; she knew what she wanted and was taking control of the kiss. Eragon found himself smiling; he wouldn't have it any other way.

After a couple of minutes the need for air pulled them apart, both were breathing heavily and Eragon kept his hand on her thigh.

"I can't believe this is happening." Eragon breathed, somehow Arya heard him over the noise of the music.

"Neither can I." She admitted. Picking up one of his hands she played with his fingers. "It is all a bit surreal." Eragon couldn't help but smile at the nervous look on her face.

"This is the first time I've ever seen you look nervous." Even in the dim light he could see her blushing at his words. It was so cute that he couldn't help himself, he leant forward and kissed her again, feeling bold he ran his tongue her lip, delighted when she opened her mouth and her own tongue duelled with his own. Arya leant forward her arms winding round his neck, Eragon found himself pulling her closer, his hands resting on her hips.

Arya pulled away, Eragon could see a smile on her face and a sparkle in her eyes that he hadn't seen for a while.

They sat in silence, staring at each other, neither knowing what to say. Eragon allowed his hand to run up and down her arm, enjoying the feeling of her skin underneath his fingertips.

Arya leant forward a moment later, pressing her lips to his he could feel her smiling and returned the kiss with vigour, he didn't think he could ever get used to the feeling of her lips on his, nor did he want to.

But their perfect moment didn't last for very long. A very loud throat clearing pulled them apart. Looking up Eragon saw a woman he didn't recognise standing next to the table, a big grin on her face.

"Well, well, well, I wondered where you'd got to." She laughed sliding in opposite them and beaming at the two of them. "I told Claire there was no way that you were hooking up, but it seems I was wrong." She winked at Arya. Eragon looked between Arya, who was blushing and trying to hide it and the other woman who was still smirking.

"Arya has no manners. I'm Angela." She shouted to be heard over the music and held out her hand for Eragon to shake.

"I'm Eragon." He shouted back.

"What a lovely name. And how long have you two known each other?"

"4 months!" Arya finally found her voice and cut in as she could see exactly what Angela was thinking. "We work together."

"Oh how intriguing!" Angela's smile broadened. Eragon suddenly felt very uncomfortable.

"Well. I should probably go and find my friends." He said. The look Arya gave him was a cross of disappointment and relief.

"Ok. Thanks." She said, seeming to revert back to her old self. Eragon thought about kissing her again but the look on her face warned him against it. Instead he nodded to Angela and stood up slid out of the booth. With one last smile he walked away as fast as his dignity would let him.

* * *

"Where the hell have you been?" Murtagh roared when Eragon finally rejoined his friends at the bar.

"I've been around." Eragon replied scratching his head and trying not to let his eyes wander back to the booth where he knew Arya was sitting.

"You missed a fight." Murtagh said gleefully, Eragon felt something pushing against his hand and looking down he saw Murtagh pushing a shot glass at him. Taking it he threw it back before Murtagh could finish handing them out.

"Bloody hell." Thorn laughed raising his own shot to his mouth, "Someone's keen." Eragon laughed along with the rest of them, but his head wasn't in it. His head was back up in the booth, with a certain brown haired beauty.

* * *

"You are a dark horse." Angela gave Arya a smirk as she pushed a drink towards her. Claire had joined them and Angela had wasted no time in getting her up to speed. Both of them were now sat opposite Arya, the exact same expressions on their faces.

"What?" Arya protested. "Let's not make a big thing about this." She said, knowing full well that that's exactly what they would do.

"But this is a big thing." Claire said, for once losing her mask of composure. "Have you kissed anyone since Fäolin?" Arya chose not to answer the question, but her silence spoke volumes.

"Besides." Angela grinned. "He was hot."

"I didn't see him." Claire pouted.

"You missed out." Angela waggled her eyes at Arya, who couldn't help but smile.

It was 3 o'clock by the time Arya, Claire, and Angela left the club. Arya allowed her two friends to lead her to a taxi, speaking only to tell the driver the address. She was still drunk, but was sobering up quickly. Quickly enough to know that come the morning the full force of her actions would hit her like a ton of bricks.

* * *

Eragon giggled to himself as he stumbled into the flat. Closing the door as quietly as he could he crept into the kitchen to get himself some water. Draining the first glass he refilled it before tiptoeing back through the living room and into his bedroom.

He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it onto the floor. His head was spinning slightly as he unbuttoned his trousers and let them drop. Crawling between his covers he stared happily at the ceiling. The night had been the best of his life, and although he knew his happiness would probably be short lived he would always have the memory of what had happened.

That night Eragon drifted off into sleep, remembering the touch of Arya's lips.

* * *

**Well I hope you all enjoyed that. I'm hoping because we're finally at the prologue I'll get lots of reviews. I can't promise this period of Eragon/Arya fluff will continue, but I hope this is enough to sate you all for a while. As usual leave me a review letting me know what you think. Until next time! **

**Pirate-x-Girls**


	13. Chapter 12

**Sorry guys about the wait. It's been a busy couple of weeks, got VERY distracted by the Olympics, was very exciting to see it all happening in my country! I'm glad people enjoyed the last chapter, it was a lot of fun to write, as was this one! Enjoy!**

**N/B: Had to post this twice as first time I uploaded an unedited version, it's late at night and my brain isn't working! **

* * *

**Flashes**

**Chapter 12**

Arya awoke the next morning with one of the worst hangovers she could recall having. Her body, not used to lie ins woke her up at half 5. Barely two hours since she had crawled into bed. It was still dark and when she opened her eyes she knew she was still drunk. Fumbling by her bedside table she located the bottle of water she had had the foresight to put there before she went out. Taking a huge gulp, she sighed as it brought some relief to her parched throat.

Falling back against her pillows she closed her eyes and managed to drop off for a couple of hours, only waking when a bird started singing outside her partially open window.

"Oh god!" she groaned to herself covering her eyes with the palms of her head.

A loud groan from the floor caused her to frown and slowly remove her hands from her eyes. She searched her brain frantically, did she bring someone home?! Surely she hadn't been that drunk.

Slowly she rolled over and poked her head over the side of the bed.

She let out a huge sigh of relief when she saw Angela sprawled on the floor, head buried in a pillow.

"Are you ok?" she asked. Angela groaned again in response. Arya chuckled, and immediately regretted the action as it caused her headache to flare up again.

"I'm dying." Angela moaned, her voice muffled by the pillow. "I'm never drinking again."

"Neither am I." Arya agreed, her right arm slung across her eyes.

"You're both liars." A third voice joined in the conversation from the other side of Arya's bed. Throwing her arm back she rolled to look over the side of the bed. Claire was lying wrapped in blankets, her eyes still closed. "You'll drink within the next week I bet." Arya frowned.

"You two do know I have a spare bedroom with a double bed don't you?" Claire nodded and Angela grunted. "Then why the hell are you sleeping in here on the floor?!"

"It was easier." Claire said. "None of us were in any state to make up a double bed, we just grabbed a few blankets and crashed in here." She opened her eyes and gave Arya a mischievous smile. "Besides you promised to tell us about your man last night."

Arya blanched. "I didn't!" Claire nodded and Arya flopped back against her pillows again.

"Yep, you promised to tell us everything!" Angela hooted gleefully, her head popping up beside Arya on the bed.

"Well I've changed my mind now." She said, her tone indicating that she was done talking about it.

"You can't change your mind!" Angela protested. "You have to tell us." Arya covered her eyes with her hands again.

"I can and I have." She spoke around her palms, "It's not a big deal." She could feel Claire and Angela looking at her, but refused to move her hands away from her face.

"It is." Angela whined. "It might not be to you, but to us it's HUGE! We deserve all the juicy details!" Arya peeked through her fingers in time to see Angela waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"There were no juicy details." She said finally, knowing that she had to tell them something. "It was just a kiss."

"It looked like a few kisses to me." Angela said wickedly. "From where I was at the bar I saw most of what happened in that booth."

"You were watching us?!" Arya didn't know whether to laugh or frown at her eccentric friend.

"Of course. You're just lucky I didn't take pictures."

"Angela!" Claire laughed. Arya picked up one of her pillows and thumped it into her friends face.

"Don't you know it's rude to spy on people." She scolded. Angela just shrugged and hoisted herself up on the bed, forcing Arya to move over so that her friend could lie down next to her.

"I wasn't rude, I was just curious." Angela replied. "Curious to know who the guy that has FINALLY beaten down your defences." She sent Arya another grin and patted the back of her hand.

"I've got to admit I agree with Angela." Claire said, still lying out of view on the floor. "It's not every day you let guys in, the last one was..." she trailed off, not needing to say the name. Arya remained silent, trying to keep her expression neutral.

"Come on Arya!" Angela whined. "Just a few little details, I know his name is Eragon, and that you work with him, but that's it."

"That's all you do need to know." Arya told them firmly.

"How old is he?" Angela asked as if Arya hadn't spoken.

"It's none of your business." Arya couldn't help but laugh.

"He looked young." Angela said. "I'm guessing about 18." She looked to Arya, and when she didn't respond she grinned. "I'm right aren't I?"

Arya realised she couldn't lie and nodded. "Almost 19. His birthday is next month."

"Ohhhh you know his birthday! It must be serious!" she joked. Arya rolled her eyes again, heaving herself up, fought of the headache that rolled in waves through her temples.

"I need food." She muttered.

"I could do with some breakfast." Angela said hopefully.

"You can make it yourself then." Arya retorted holding her head as she stumbled out of her bedroom and towards her kitchen.

* * *

Eragon woke up in a similar state to Arya, head pounding and throat dry.

The first thing he saw when he woke up was his pillow. Pulling his head up he groaned and looked around. The clock next to his bed read 11:30, he closed his eyes again and as the memories from the night before came flooding back he allowed a wide grin to spread across his face.

Rolling onto his back he stared at the ceiling, the memory of Arya's lips against his own dominated his thoughts. He wasn't even that aware of his hangover beginning to come on until he attempted to sit up.

"Oh god!" he moaned clutching his head, legs swung over the side of the bed. The sunlight streamed in through his open curtains that he had failed to close the night before, making the pain all that more intense. Looking around he spied his glass of water on the bedside table, reaching for it he poured half the liquid down his throat and slowly stood up.

Saphira was munching on some toast and reading the newspaper when he finally made it through to the kitchen ten minutes later. When she looked up and saw him she grinned.

"Do you feel as bad as you look?" she asked.

"Worse." Eragon replied sinking onto the sofa and sipping at the last of his water. "I'm never drinking again."

"I'll believe that when I see it." Saphira smirked standing up she took her plate through to the kitchen.

"Do you want something to eat?" she called back into the living room.

"Stop shouting!" Eragon mumbled. "Dry toast please." He said a moment later in a small voice.

It took an hour, several big glasses of water and some toast before Eragon began to feel normal again. His headache had reduced to mild throbbing behind his temples, and the waves of nausea were becoming less and less frequent.

"You look less green now." Saphira noted as they sat watching the news. "Did you have a good time last night?" she asked. Memories of Arya flashed in Eragon's mind before he answered.

"Yeah it was good; don't remember some of it but all in all a good night."

"Did you pull?" Eragon looked up in surprise at the question.

"Why would you think I'd pulled?" he asked, Saphira raised an eyebrow.

"When you haven't been looking like you're about to throw up you've had a weird smile on your face." Eragon almost rolled his eyes, Saphira never missed anything.

He hadn't worked out if he was going to mention to the kiss to Arya with Saphira. The fact that Arya was Saphira's closest friend apart from him made him keep his silence, that and he quite liked it being their little secret...well apart from the friend of hers who had seen them, and he was pretty sure Saphira wouldn't take it well.

He shrugged. "Well there was dancing, there may have been a kiss."

"Must have been someone special to make your face light up like that." Saphira said, "Not Emily?" Eragon shook his head.

"No. We're just kind of friends I think."

"You think?"

"I don't know if I want more, I don't know if she wants more, we're just having a bit of fun." He shrugged again and stood up. "I'm going for a shower; I need to wash the feeling of alcohol off of me!"

As Eragon left the room Saphira leant back against the sofa, a frown knotting her forehead. Eragon was definitely hiding something from her; she had known him long enough to know that when he was lying he could never look her in the eye. He had managed to look her in the eye when he had been telling her about Emily, but when he had claimed to have a fuzzy memory about it he had been staring at a spot to the side of her head.

Now that she knew that Eragon was hiding something Saphira was more intrigued, in all the time she had known Eragon he very rarely hid anything from her. The fact that he was doing so now made Saphira suspicious.

Before she could think about it further her phone rang. Leaning over the back of the sofa she pulled her bag up from the floor and retrieved her phone.

"Hello." she said.

"Hey," she recognised Arya's voice on the other end.

"Hey, is everything ok?" she asked.

"Ugghhh. Not really," Arya responded, Saphira recognised the tone.

"Are you hung over?" she asked incredulously.

"Yeah." Arya replied. "It was a difficult weekend with my mother." Saphira couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips.

"Oh my god! Who did you go out with?"

"Angela and Claire." Saphira chuckled again, she had only met Angela a handful of times but on all of them she had ended up as hung over as Arya sounded now, Claire like Arya was more reserved and sensible.

"I have a favour to ask." Arya said when Saphira had managed to get her mirth under control. "Could you come over later and help me look over some paperwork, I really don't think I'll get it done by myself before the meeting tomorrow."

"Sure." Saphira smiled checking the time. "Any particular time, and what colour wine should I bring?"

"Ha ha, very funny." Arya mumbled. "Any time after two, I should be presentable by then."

"Ok, I'll see you later." Saphira put the phone down as Eragon came back into the room, his hair still wet.

"Who was that?" he asked.

"Arya." Saphira replied rifling through her bag, if she had been looking up she would have seen a look pass across Eragon's face. "I'm heading over to hers later to do some stuff for work."

"Ah right ok." Eragon said quickly before turning on his heel and heading out of the room.

* * *

Angela and Claire left for home at 1, after they had spent the entire morning pumping Arya for information. Arya had spent years fending off unwanted questions from people, and so was able to deter them for a while, but after a while she realised they probably wouldn't leave until she gave them something.

"My god!" she snapped finally as they were eating. "You're insufferable!"

Angela grinned. "It's part of my charm, does this mean you're going to spill the beans?!"

Arya couldn't help but smile at her friend's persistence. "There's not really that much to tell, he's a guy I work with, he's really nice, very sweet and until last night nothing had ever happened." She had neglected to mention the almost kiss in the warehouse, because that would mean admitting that she had had feelings for him before the kiss.

"So what you just attached yourself to him, or did he initiate it?"

"I'm not sure." Arya admitted. "We were both really drunk and it just kind of happened."

"That's not nearly as exciting as I thought it would be." Angela grumbled.

"Well I'm not sure what you expected." Arya replied with an arched eyebrow, taking the plates she took them through to the kitchen.

"Something more romantic and exciting than that." Angela said as she brought through the glasses.

"You need to stop reading those romance novels." Arya laid her hand on Angela's shoulders.

After Angela and Claire had left Arya sank down on her sofa and let he head fall back. Because of all the constant questioning, she had had little time in her own mind to think about what had happened the night before.

Her hangover was proof of how drunk she had been, but her memory was surprisingly clear. She knew that she had initiated the kiss, but she wasn't sure how she felt about it, part of her felt bad that she had done it, that by kissing Eragon she had given him false hope that something could develop between the two of them.

But at the same time, there was a part of Arya that wanted something to develop between them, for someone so young Eragon had been a very good kisser, he had been gentle and when his hands had run down her arms she had felt a tingling that she had not felt for a long time, and on top of that he was a nice person who didn't seem to have a secret agenda. But Arya had been burned before and knew that even the worst kind of person could appear nice in the beginning.

Putting her hands over her eyes Arya kneaded at her eyes with the palms of her hands, trying to do what she did best, gain perspective on the situation and come to a rational conclusion, but it seemed that whichever way she looked at it there was no rational conclusion, she couldn't explain away her actions rationally, nor did she want to admit that just maybe she had feelings for Eragon.

It was with some relief that Saphira arrived half an hour later, allowing Arya to focus on something that she knew she could control and understand. Paperwork.

"God you look as rough as Eragon did this morning." Saphira said with a grin as she sat down on Arya's sofa.

"Huh." Arya grunted, shifting her paperwork from her dining room table to the coffee table in front of them, her body stiffening slightly at the mention of Eragon's name, as it evoked pleasurable feelings from the night before.

Saphira noticed the stiffening of Arya's body when she mentioned Eragon's name, she felt her frown coming back as she saw Arya's body tremble slightly.

Eragon's shifty eyes that morning, Arya's reaction to his name.

"Did you see Eragon last night?" she asked suspiciously.

"I might have done, I was really drunk it's all a bit of a blur in my head." Arya refused to turn around, opting to address her answer to the table in front of her. Saphira's frown deepened a little, she knew Arya was lying, just as she knew Eragon had been lying.

Deciding there was no point in pushing it Saphira, knowing she wouldn't get anywhere Saphira said nothing more, but her brain was putting the pieces together, something had happened between the two of them, and Saphira wanted to know what it was.

* * *

Monday morning dawned bright and clear over the city. Eragon had slept badly the night before and found himself up and about when the sun rose over the horizon, he stood at the window, sipping from a mug of coffee gazing out over the city.

Saphira had been acting strangely since she had come back from Arya's the evening before. There were times when they had been making dinner when he had caught her looking at her funny, as if she wanted to say something but wasn't sure how to say it.

"Something the matter?" he had asked as they were plating up dinner.

"No." She replied after a few seconds hesitation. She shook her head and offered him a smile. "Don't worry about it, it's nothing." Eragon had dropped the subject and they had finished the rest of their evening in a comfortable manner.

Eragon caught up with Thorn as they were walking into the building when he got to work.

"How were you feeling yesterday?" the older man asked with a grin.

"Like hell." Eragon replied. "How about you?"

"I don't think I've ever been that hung over." Thorn shook his head, "I spent most of the day in bed watching bad TV."

"Did you hear from the others at all?"

"Chris stayed at mine, he was supposed to sleep on the sofa but he fell off half way through the night, scared the shit out of me."

By this point they had reached the lift and it was there that Eragon saw him talking to Ajihad by the lift.

The man was tall, wearing a suit that looked like it had seen better days, it hung off his thin frame loosely and there were several threads hanging from the elbows and shoulders. His face was thin and his chin was covered with a stubbly brown beard, flecked with grey hair.

He turned to the side slightly and Eragon caught sight of a pair of blue eyes flashing as he spoke and gestured with soft motions of his hands.

Saphira came up to stand next to Eragon, her eyes on the man in front of them.

"Wow! I can't believe he's here." She nudged Eragon, "This is a very lucky day for you."

Ajihad had noticed the two of them by this point and came over to speak to them.

"Ah Saphira, you're just in time, there's someone here I really want to introduce you too." Eragon opened his mouth to say something but Saphira shushed him.

"Wait for your turn." She hissed.

"Saphira, this is Brom, he's been very eager to meet you after all of the things I've told him about yours and Arya's progress." The man stepped forward and shook Saphira's hand.

"It's nice to meet you Saphira," he said with a smile.

"It's nice to meet you too." Saphira said, grinning widely. She stepped back, and gestured to Eragon to come forward. "This is my assistant and friend..."

"Eragon." Brom interrupted her, both to hers and Ajihad's surprise. "It's been a long time, how have you been?"

"You two know each other?" Saphira asked, her expression mirroring Ajihad's. Eragon nodded.

"Yeah, Brom is a friend of my Uncle's; he used to live in the village next to my farm."

"How is Garrow?" Brom asked extending his hand forward for Eragon to shake.

"He's not doing too badly, he'll be glad to hear that you haven't died." Brom chuckled.

"I should probably get in touch with him again, it has been a while." Ajihad was looking at them with a sense of disbelief.

"Well seeing as I don't need to introduce you two, Brom do you want to come to the conference room, might as well get your meeting with the board out of the way before you get too grumpy." He said to Brom with a chuckle.

"It was good to see you Eragon," Brom said as he began to follow Ajihad away. "We should catch up whilst I'm here."

"Why didn't you tell me that you knew Brom." Saphira said as they made it up to her office.

"I didn't know he worked for Varden." Eragon replied as he slid his bag over his head.

"Didn't know?! Eragon, Brom practically made the Varden! He worked as a UN peacekeeper, and then when he got injured he came back and started secret trade routes with countries that didn't get any help from the UN because their governments didn't let any outside help in."

"Really?" Eragon knew that Brom had been a soldier; he had first met Brom when he was very small, hiding behind Garrow staring wide eyed at the man who had come to see the farm and introduce himself to his new neighbours. "I just always knew him as a great storyteller who'd babysit me when Garrow had to go away."

"He's a legend around here." Saphira carried on shaking her head. "Everyone in Varden knows who he is, but very few have actually met him."

"Well to me he's the man who told me when I was 12 that there were 7 year girls who had more potential in farming than me!" Saphira laughed.

"That's fantastic!" she disappeared into her office, still laughing, leaving Eragon to start his work.

* * *

Brom came round to Saphira's office later on in the morning. He walked out of the lift, his hands in his pockets.

"Eragon." He greeted him with a smile.

"Brom." Eragon put his pen down and watched the older man almost warily. He had not seen Brom for a few years; he had disappeared from the village just after Eragon's sixteenth birthday with no word to anyone of where he was going and when he would be back. This in itself was strange, as before then Brom had been a near constant in Eragon's life, as he had told Saphira Brom had babysat for him often and even when he become old enough to look after himself he had still visited Brom often, mostly to listen to his stories, fantasy stories, war stories Brom was a master of words and Eragon had spent hours of his childhood being enthralled by the images that Brom weaved.

"How long have you been working here?" Brom asked when Eragon fetched him a chair.

"Around four months, Saphira got me the job." Brom nodded, a slight frown appearing between his eyes. "Is Saphira that girl you met at the fair when you were younger?" Eragon nodded, Brom smiled.

"I knew I recognised her, whenever Ajihad mentioned her name it would ring a bell." He leant back in his chair and crossed his arms across his chest in a way that Eragon recognised from when Brom used to tell him stories when he was a child.

"So where have you been?" Eragon asked. "I haven't heard from you since my sixteenth birthday."

"I've been abroad." Brom replied, scratching his beard. "I did mean to get back in contact, see how you were getting on but things just kept coming up."

"I see." Eragon said. "Will you be heading back to Carvahall?" Brom thought for a moment before nodding.

"For a while yes." He leant forward again, placing his hands on Eragon's desk. "I actually wanted to come and ask you something, there's a conference next week, a trade's conference. As I've been away from the company for some time, Ajihad had asked if I would mind putting in some face time there. I've got to take Arya and was wondering if you wanted to come as well, Ajihad mentioned you hadn't had that much experience outside of the office."

"Yeah that'd be great." Eragon smiled. "It's nice to see you again."

"You too." Brom said, standing. "I'll come and see you again before the end of the day, I have another meeting."

After Brom had left Eragon tried to get on with his work, but something kept invading his mind.

Arya.

Before Brom had mentioned her name Eragon had managed to go through the morning without thinking about her or the kiss that much, he had been distracted by the arrival of Brom. But now he was thinking about her he couldn't get anything else out of his head.

He knew he would have to face her at some point, and part of him knew that she was not just going to fall into his arms, she would probably retreat from him, but he had not worked so hard to get into her affections to allow her to block him out.

* * *

He ended up facing Arya sooner than he had expected.

He was in one of the small photocopying rooms standing by the copier listening to it whir as it churned the paper out of the tray when he heard the door open behind him.

Turning he saw Arya in the doorway, her head was down and it seemed that she hadn't seen him yet. Taking a breath he cleared his throat to alert her to his presence. Her head shot up and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw him.

"Eragon." She said.

"Arya." He found he was incredibly nervous, he didn't know what to say. "How are you?"

"I'm ok thank you, how are you?" Arya inched into the room, holding her file against her chest, her eyes warily holding his own.

"I'm alright, was feeling like hell yesterday." He smiled, trying to prompt a one from her; she gave a tight lipped smile.

"I wasn't feeling too hot either." She admitted. The silence that fell on the room was almost suffocating.

"Listen Arya," Eragon moved away from the copier, he thought she would move backwards, but she held her ground until he was only a few inches away. "About the other night..."

"Eragon," Arya held up a hand, resting it lightly on his chest. "I don't think we should."

"Should what?" Eragon said, knowing what she meant but wouldn't say. "Shouldn't see each other, shouldn't talk, shouldn't kiss." At the last word he took another small step forward, which did it.

Pulling away Arya turned and left the room before Eragon could fully comprehend what had happened. Sighing in frustration Eragon rubbed his temple furiously, he had expected something like that to happen but that didn't stop him being frustrated.

He finished his copying and grabbing the papers from the tray he stomped out of the room and down the corridor muttering to himself the whole way.

Arya hadn't gone far, she was hiding in an empty office a couple of doors down from the copying room. Leaning against the door she listened, her eyes closed as Eragon went past, she could hear him huffing under his breath and she knew that he was probably angry with her.

"You're an idiot." She muttered to herself. She hadn't been expecting to run into Eragon so quickly, and hadn't prepared anything to say to him, and when he had stepped as close as he had and she had felt the heat from his body and remembered how it had felt to be pressed against him. Then he had mentioned kissing and her eyes had immediately flitted to his lips, and the urge to kiss him again had become so strong. Needing to get out of there she had turned and fled, and now she was hiding in an empty office.

"Coward." The word slipped from her lips before she could stop it.

Heaving a sigh she left the room, going down to the copy room she put her papers in the machine and stabbed at the buttons. As the sound of the whirring machine filled the room she crossed her arms over her chest and scowled at the wall, thinking bitterly about her own cowardice.

* * *

Eragon remained frustrated for the rest of the day. Frustrated at himself for stepping too close, for scaring her, and frustrated at Arya that once again she wouldn't talk to him, she had brought the shutters down and wouldn't let him in.

Saphira spent most of the day talking to Ajihad and Brom, her department had been one that Brom had overseen for a few years before he had gone abroad and he was very interested in how things had progressed in his absence.

It was weird for Eragon seeing one of the most prominent male figures in his childhood in a working sense. Brom had always seemed a little mad to Eragon, there were often times when he had been babysitting when he would lapse into a silence, often staring into the fire that he had insisted be lit every time he came over. It seemed that at Varden, Brom found some of the man he must have been when he had been a solider overseas.

"So I hear you're going to the trade's conference next week." Saphira sat down opposite Eragon's desk.

"Yes." Eragon watched the grin on her face suspiciously. "Why so happy?"

"No reason." Saphira carried on grinning and he rolled his eyes.

"Seriously what?"

"Nothing." She was in an annoying mood and Eragon just decided to go back to his work and leave her to her smiling.

"Have you spoken to Arya today at all?" Eragon's head shot up at Saphira's next question.

"Why would I have spoken to Arya today?" he said immediately. Saphira raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Because she had some stuff to give me and I wondered if you might have run into her." She frowned. "Why so jumpy."

"No reason." Eragon echoed her own words from earlier, casting his eyes back down to the page in front of him.

When he chanced a look up again Saphira was watching him with the look she had been giving him the night before.

Before he could ask her what the look was about, Saphira was called back to her office by the ringing of her phone.

* * *

Arya was in her office, poring over shipping records when there was a soft knock on her office door.

"Come in." She grunted, not really in the mood for visitors.

The door opened and Brom strode in, a warm smiled on his face. Arya's face lit up when she saw him.

"You're back!" coming round the desk she pulled him into a hug, showing very rare affection towards a man.

"So it would seem." He replied, his own smile widening. Arya pulled back from the hug and quickly slapped him in the arm. "Oww! What was that for?!"

"You haven't been in contact for almost a year and a half!" she scolded him, pointing an accusing finger. "That number you gave me didn't work!" Brom chuckled and slipped an arm round her shoulders.

"I am sorry, I dropped my phone down the side of a mountain, and there was never time to get another one." He gave her a quick squeeze. "Forgiven?"

"I suppose." Arya muttered. She sat back down behind her desk and watched as Brom wandered round her office, poking in her drawers and at the papers on the walls.

"How was your work abroad?" Arya asked.

"Successful." Brom finally sat down, crossing one leg over the other. "It is good to be back home though." He carried on offering her a crooked smile. She returned it, Brom was one of the few men that Arya felt comfortable enough to be herself around. He had been the one to hire her in the first place, even though many members of the board had objected to having someone so young heading up a department.

"I have a favour to ask." Brom said after they had exchanged a few more pleasantries, Arya sat forward.

"What?" she asked suspiciously. "I had better not be anything unpleasant, I still haven't forgiven you for the time you made me babysit that skunk!" Brom laughed.

"I said I was sorry!" he shook his head as her expression stayed the same. "No, no, it's nothing awful; I just want you to accompany me to the trade's conference next week." It was better than what Arya had been expecting.

"Oh sure, it would be pleasure."

"Great." Brom smiled. "Eragon will be coming with us." Arya's eyes napped up at the mention of Eragon's name.

"You've met Eragon?" she managed to keep her voice level and what she hoped was neutral. Brom smiled again.

"I've known Eragon since he was very small."

"How?"

"I lived in the same village as him, I was good friends with his uncle." Arya couldn't help but look surprised.

"He never mentioned that he knew you."

"He didn't know I worked here. I haven't seen him since his sixteenth birthday." Brom explained. "I didn't know that he worked here until this morning."

"Small world." Arya said.

"Indeed."

* * *

The next week seemed to fly by for Eragon. The whole company was buzzing with excitement now that Brom was back. They were also entering into the last phases of the merger, and so some of the busiest. Orik was spending most of his time running between Varden and his company, overseeing transfers and managing any problems that came up. Because of his busy schedule Eragon had not seen the dwarf for almost two weeks.

Brom, with the permission of Saphira and Arya had spent most of his time helping with the merger. He had spent a lot of time working with Orik's company, Dûrgrimst Enterprises, before he had gone abroad and had built up a good relationship with its board members. This mean that Eragon saw a lot of him, and it gave the two of them a chance to catch up.

Brom was intrigued to hear what Eragon had been up to in the three years he had been gone. He was a bit disappointed that Eragon had not chosen to go to university, but was glad that he had found a job and was looking at business to further his learning.

Eragon for his part was enjoying listening to Brom's new stories. The ex soldier had lost none of his storytelling talents and Eragon spent most of his lunchtimes that week enthralled by what Brom had to say, his food often going cold.

Arya had been strangely absent from the office in the days running up to the conference, both Saphira and Brom mentioned, perplexed as to what would cause her to be so distant.

Eragon knew.

She didn't want to face him, and after the disaster in the copying room he wasn't sure that he wanted to face her either. He had seen her fleetingly as he had been going around the building, but she was always either too far away for him to catch up, or just disappearing round a corner.

Arya had been spending most of her time locked away in her office, only venturing out when it was absolutely necessary. She had thrown herself into her work with such a determination that even Ajihad, who was used to her odd ways, was surprised. Every day when she got home she was too exhausted to do anything more than grab a bit to eat before passing out in bed. This tactic was designed to leave her very little time to think, because when Arya stopped to think, there was only one thing that dominated her thoughts. A handsome, smiling face, brown eyes shining, as much as she tried Arya could not get Eragon's face out of her head. What haunted her most was the hurt look she had seen in his eyes as she had fled from the copying room, she knew she was hurting him and that was the last thing she had wanted to do.

The day of the conference arrived with a thunderstorm to accompany it. The rain lashed down from the heavens and thunder rumbled across a darkened sky. Eragon stood by the office window listening to the pattering of the rain against the glass waiting for Brom.

"I can't believe I'm being left on my own AGAIN!" Saphira moaned as she came out of her office.

"Do you want me to bring you back a present?" Eragon smirked, Saphira scowled and reaching out a hand she flicked his ear.

"Pipe down little one." Eragon laughed as her scowl intensified.

"Surely you have enough to keep you busy?"

"That's the problem." Saphira whined. "I get so bored."

It was at that moment that Brom arrived, saying a hurried goodbye to Saphira Eragon followed Brom into the lift, not failing to notice the glare she was sending his way as the doors closed.

"Saphira doesn't seem very happy." Brom noted.

"She's not." Eragon chuckled. "She doesn't like being left alone in the office, I think she feels a little left out." Brom laughed, the doors pinged open, signalling their arrival to the car park.

"Where's Arya?" Eragon asked looking around as Brom led him to a sleek black car.

"She said she'd meet us there." Brom replied, Eragon got into the car feeling a little downcast, it seemed that Arya couldn't even bear to sit in a car with him, was it that bad being around him, did she regret what had happened that much?

"You ok?" Brom asked as he pulled the car out of the car park.

"What? Yeah, yeah I'm fine, just thinking." Eragon said, trying to pull his thought away from Arya.

The conference was based in a large hall on the outskirts of the city. The rain hadn't relented by the time they got there, if anything it had started to rain harder. Brom and Eragon had to run from the car to the building and even in that short distanced they had both been drenched.

The main room was already filling up with people as Brom and Eragon milled around by the door waiting for Arya.

"What do you think?" Brom smiled at Eragon, who kept stealing glances inside the hall.

"It's cool" Eragon said, his eyes taking in all the stalls that were set around the room, each with their own display. "Do we not have a stall." Brom shook his head.

"No, all of the stalls here are from smaller companies, who are looking for big investments to fund their projects from companies like us."

"But we've just started a merger, surely we won't be making any more investments?" Eragon pointed out.

"Clever boy! Today is more about scoping out the competition, putting out the feelers as it were." Brom winked. Eragon smiled and was about to make a reply when the automatic doors at the front entrance slid open.

The reply died in his throat when he saw Arya standing in the doorway. Water dripped down her face and onto her neck. Eragon followed the path of the droplets of rain down her neck and unto the collar of her white shirt, which had been soaked and flattened against her body giving Eragon a glimpse of her toned stomach through the material. Eyes were flashing with annoyance and her she looked so pissed off that Eragon couldn't help but smile.

As she walked across the lobby realised that he wasn't the only one staring.

Arya finally reached the, a scowl much like the one Saphira had worn earlier in the day on her face.

"I'm not enjoying this weather." She grumbled, running a hand through her hair and trying to pull her shirt away from her body. Brom was barely concealing his smirk, which did not go unnoticed by Arya.

"You can stop laughing at me. It's your fault I'm here, I could have been nice and dry back in my office!"

"Quit your moaning." Brom replied with a smirk. "You love these things." Arya huffed and ran her hand through her hair again, trying to tame it.

She had yet to acknowledge Eragon, and he thought she probably wasn't going to speak to him, after the incident in the copier room. But as they walked into the showroom she fell into step with him.

"How've you been?" she asked softly, taking him by surprise, her tone sounded almost caring.

"Not too bad." He replied, trying not to look at her, knowing that if he did he would lose his calm facade. "You?"

"Busy." She replied, in an obvious move to explain her absence. "I wanted to apologise." She carried on after a moment's hesitation. "I shouldn't have..."

"Come on you two!" Brom's voice interrupted them; Arya shot Eragon a look and increased her speed, leaving Eragon cursing Brom internally as he hurried to catch up with them.

* * *

Eragon didn't have another chance to talk to Arya for a few hours. Brom kept him busy explaining what was going on and how to read all of the different people who were trying to get their attention, and how to judge if what they were offering was a good deal or not. Many of the people there recognised Brom, and eagerly tried to get his attention.

"You can never seem too eager when looking around and listening to what they have to say." Brom laid a hand on Eragon's shoulder and guided him away from a particularly excited man who was trying to get them to invest in trading toilet seat covers. "Nor can you look too bored, the most important thing is that we maintain the upper hand, let them come to us and show us why we should be investing, that way we weed out the stronger contenders from the weaker ones." He pointed ahead. "If you watch Arya, she had the technique down! This is exactly her kind of place."

Eragon didn't need any more encouragement to watch Arya and sought her out in the crowd in front of them. He could see immediately that Brom was right, when Arya spoke to the men at the stalls she always remained in control; her ability to keep all emotion from her face meant that she was calling all of the shots. It helped as well that all the men at the stalls were falling over themselves to speak with her.

Arya joined them by the door when they finally stopped for a rest after they had been round the showroom more times than Eragon could count.

"Anything interesting?" Brom asked Arya. He had elected to stay back away from the chatter and teach Eragon leaving Arya to do all the talking. Arya grimaced and tipped her hand from side to side in a 'so so' gesture.

"Bits and bobs. The same as usual, a lot of people saying a lot of things. Some of it true, some of it not." Brom nodded.

"Anyone we could make a deal with?" Arya gave a slight shake of her head.

"Not really, a few possible we could keep tabs on see how their next year goes." Brom nodded again.

"Good work."

It was at that moment that the entire room fell silent, quite impressive considering how many people were in the room. Brom frowned and turned to where everyone was looking.

"Well that's just great." He muttered.

"What's happened?" Eragon asked.

"Trouble." Arya replied.

'Trouble' was a man. He was tall, even taller than Brom, towering over most of the people in the room, he was dressed in a very expensive suit, everything about him screamed money. His hair was black and tightly curled around his ears. His features were harsh, everything about the man was harsh and oozed malice, but it was his eyes that were the creepiest. One black, one blue. But under all that Eragon realised he had seen this man's features before.

There was only one man he could be.

"Morzan." The word slipped from Brom's mouth as Eragon's brain reached the same conclusion. Brom spat the word out as if it tasted bad. "It's unlike him to come to these things; he usually leaves it to Durza." Brom frowned. Out of the corner of his eyes Eragon saw Arya's hands clenching into fists.

Morzan was making his way through the stalls, flanked by two large men in black suits who scowled at anyone who came within a few feet of them. People had slowly started talking, but many gave Morzan and his entourage wary glances as he passed.

Brom was watching Morzan approach with an unconcealed look of loathing in his eyes and on his features. Morzan turned from a stall near them and turned his mismatched eyes on Brom, a sneer split his mouth, showing white teeth.

"Brom!" he drawled. "I didn't know you were back from overseas! I heard you were dead!"

"Sorry to disappoint." Brom replied coldly. Morzan laughed.

"So cold Brom! No warm welcome for an old friend!" Morzan spread his arms wide as if he were going to embrace him. When Brom stood still Morzan put his arms down with a chuckle. His gaze then shifted to Arya, who was watching him with a look harder than he had ever seen.

"Arya! A pleasure as always." Morzan leered, looking her up and down. Eragon didn't like the look in his eyes one bit, and he felt his teeth clenching and the anger started to boil in his stomach.

"Not even a hello?" Morzan pouted when Arya said nothing. Shaking his head his eyes finally turned to Eragon, and he felt a chill running down his spine.

"And you." Morzan said, arching an eyebrow. "You. Must be Eragon."

"How do you know my name?" Eragon asked suspiciously. Morzan smiled, it was a smile Eragon didn't like.

"I know a great many things young man." He said. "Some about you, some things that would probably shock you! I know you're friends with my son...oh don't worry." He said quickly seeing their shocked expressions as they shared looks. "...My son won't say anything about Varden or what he sees there that could be useful to me and my employer, no matter how persuasive I am." He shook his head.

"I can't say I understand his...misplaced loyalty." He sneered again. "But, each to their own." He pulled a phone out and pressed a few buttons, his eyes looking at them, eyes lingering particularly on Arya.

"Well, as fun as this has been, we need to go." Brom said, already turning away.

"Ah no really?" Morzan put the phone away and gave a fake sigh. "Well, if you insist." He fixed them all with his odd eyes and a cold stare. "It's been a pleasure." He deadpanned. Brom had already gone, Arya pulled on Eragon's arm.

"Come on." She muttered.

"I'll hope to see you again Arya." Morzan smirked. "And you Eragon."

* * *

"God he's creepy." Eragon shivered as they watched Morzan step out into the rain towards a big black limousine.

"He's more than creepy." Arya said from beside him, shaking her head in disdain.

"Don't let him get into your heads." Brom said. "We should be going soon anyway."

Arya checked her watch. "I'll leave now."

"I'll walk you to your car." The words were blurted out before Eragon could stop them. Brom looked out the window at the still pouring rain before giving him a strange look.

"Ok." Arya looked just as bemused, but Eragon didn't care, he needed to talk to her, and it seemed this might be his only opportunity.

"I'll meet you in the car." Brom said, already pulling walked away pulling his phone out of his pocket.

Arya's car was in a sheltered part of the car park, but to get to it they still had to go through the rain. Arya seemed to have lost the courage that had urged her to apologise earlier, as now she seemed to be trying to get to her car as fast as possible.

"Arya." Eragon tried to get her attention, when she didn't turn round he reached forward and grabbed her arm. "Arya!"

"What?!" she swung round to face him, eyes flashing. For a moment they just stood watching each other, the rain continuing to fall.

"You were trying to apologise earlier." He said. Arya didn't answer immediately, but her expression softened slightly.

"Eragon...I..." she tried to talk, but couldn't seem to get the words out.

"Do you regret it, what happened?" Eragon had to ask, taking a step forward. Arya's breath hitched in her throat as he got closer.

"Eragon." Turning away from him she headed away to her car, he hurried after her, not wanting her to drive away without them having cleared the air a little.

Fortunately for him Arya stopped by her car, hands leaning against the side of the driver's door.

"You didn't answer me." Eragon said softly, standing behind her.

Arya mumbled something that he couldn't hear.

"I didn't catch that." Eragon said, leaning forward.

"I said I don't regret it!" Arya turned, her face mere inches from his own.

"Then why do you keep running?!" Eragon locked eyes with her, searching for an answer.

Arya couldn't take it anymore, seeing his eyes pleading with her, his hair damp and curling in the rain, the drops running down his face in such a delicious way. pushing her cautious side deep down she reached forward, grabbing him by the shirt she pulled him towards her, fusing their lips together. The force of her actions put him a little off balance, so he put a hand on the car to steady himself, his body pressed closer to hers, pushing her back against her car.

The kiss was intense, passionate, and almost hungry. Arya let her hands run through his damp hair as she took control of the kiss, pulling him closer. Eragon let out a soft moan as her tongue swept across his lips, opening his mouth his own tongue came out to meet hers, deepening the kiss further. His free hand moved to her waist, slipping under her soaking wet shirt to rest against her warm skin.

As quickly as it had started Arya had pulled back, resting her forehead against his, her arms slipped round his waist.

"Eragon I..." he cut off by pressing a soft kiss to her lips, allowing his eyes to close as she kissed him back. When he opened his eyes again she had pulled her head back and was watching him.

"See? Nothing to run from." He tried to reassure her. Arya cast her eyes downward for a moment before she looked up again, tears shining in her eyes.

"I can't do this." She whispered.

"Don't say that!" Eragon pleaded. Arya shook her head.

"I'm sorry, I can't." Pushing him back slightly she hurriedly got in her car, Eragon stood speechless and she started the engine and pulled away from him. He was left standing alone, listening to the pounding of the rain against the concrete.

* * *

**Right ok I hope people enjoyed that! I know nothing about conferences so that thing they went too was just a gloried stall showing! Also I can't guarantee that the Eragon/Arya fluff will continue, there has to be drama! :) But I thought I'd give you a little something in this chapter as well. I'm off on a mini holiday to York next week, but hope to still get a bit of writing done! Until next time!**

**Pirate-x-Girls**


	14. Chapter 13

**Hey guys, sorry for the massive wait between these two chapters. The last four months have been so busy I've literally had no time to write whatsoever! I know that a lot of people though I'd given up on this but I can assure you that I haven't! I will continue writing and it will probably be slow but updates will come! A massive thank you to everyone who reviewed and PM'd me about the story! The chapter had been sat unfinished for a long time and I finished uni for Christmas so I promised myself I'd get one up before Christmas for you guys! I don't know when the next update will be but I do have about a month off now so I'm hoping to get at LEAST one update done in that time! Anyway enough from me, enjoy this chapter! **

* * *

**Flashes**

**Chapter 13**

The night was dark and thundery. The bad weather had not abated for almost a week, each day had been dark and grey, with rain falling for most of the day. The whole city appeared to be cloaked in a shroud of mist and near constant rain.

Morzan liked the rain; his fair skin was not well suited to the sun. He burnt easily and his mismatched eyes were sensitive to bright light. He much preferred the rain and the dark, the dark hid things, plotting and planning, and the rain washed away the evidence of dark deeds.

He was sat by his desk, staring mindlessly out of the window at the rain as it slid down the glass when there was a knock on his office door.

"Come." He called, swivelling his chair so that he was facing the door as it opened.

The man who walked in through the door was even stranger looking than Morzan. He was tall and slim; he walked almost awkwardly across the room. His hair was a bright crimson and almost matched his eyes which were maroon. His skin was even paler than Morzan's and seemed to be almost pulled back against his skull tightly giving him a deathly appearance.

The newcomer approached Morzan's desk slowly.

"Durza." Morzan greeted him simply.

"You wanted to see me sir?" Durza replied, his eyes were cold, almost dead.

"Yes." Morzan said, standing he made his way over to the window, staring out into the inky blackness. "Have you acquired anymore information?" he asked, not looking at Durza.

"A little." Durza replied, apprehension creeping into his voice. "It has been...difficult, doing as you have requested." He put a hand into an inside pocket of his suit and pulled out a small envelope. "I did however manage to get these." He said, throwing the envelope on the table. Morzan turned away from the window and coming back over to the desk picked up the envelope, opening it he pulled out some squares. Leafing through them he let nothing show in his expression.

"It is a start." He said finally dropping the squares on the desk, revealing them to be photographs. Photographs of Brom, Saphira, Ajihad, Arya, and Eragon. "But I must warn you Durza, Galbatorix grows impatient." At the mention of Galbatorix's name Durza paled slightly. Not an easy feat with his complexion.

"I'm doing my best." He said, trying not to sound panicked. "But getting this kind of information is difficult."

"Yes, you've said that already." Morzan settled back down in his chair. "But you and I both know that Galbatorix is not a patient man." With a frown Morzan picked up a picture of Eragon.

"Have we learnt any more about the boy?" Durza shook his head.

"Nothing since the last lot of information." He said. Morzan looked at the picture thoughtfully.

"Galbatorix isn't happy about Varden's recent merger with Dûrgrimst, especially as they were so close to caving to Galbatorix's persuasion." Durza nodded.

"But, pardon my asking, why is he making this move against Varden now?" he asked, not really expecting a reply.

To his surprise Morzan did reply.

"It is strange, but up until now Galbatorix has tolerated Varden, but when they entered into negotiations with a company that Galbatorix has been looking to buy out, well to Galbatorix it's practically a challenge." Morzan leant back in his chair again.

"I see." Durza said, being careful not to look his boss in the eye.

There was not much that scared Durza. He was seen by many as a mercenary for the business world and it was his job to do things that many other men wouldn't. Because of the nature of his work, there were whispers in the profession that Durza had made a deal with the devil. Durza got a lot of work, mostly because companies were not willing to get their own hands dirty, and so they would hire him to do things that they didn't want to do. Empire and specifically Morzan had utilised Durza's 'special' talents many times, so much so that Durza was almost an unofficial employee of Empire, people knew that he worked for Empire and they feared him for it. But it could never be traced back to Empire; there was no paper trail, no accountability.

But working for Empire and Morzan, Durza had come to learn the meaning of the word fear, a word he had previously scorned. He had only met Galbatorix a handful of times, and each time he had come away wanting nothing more than to crawl into a corner and never come out again. Morzan was not as scary, but he could still make Durza stare at his shoes for most of their meetings.

Morzan appeared to have lost interest in Durza and was making some notes in his file.

"Err...is that all?" Durza asked, not quite sure what to do. Morzan glanced up, and waved him away.

"Yes, same time next week." He said. Durza nodded and turning away walked out of the office.

Morzan put his pen aside and laced his fingers together. He thought for a moment before picking up the phone and dialling a few numbers. He listened to the dialling tone, staring at the wall.

"Hello?"

"Son." Morzan had never been one for saying more than he needed to, and this was something that extended to his family.

"What do you want?" Murtagh's surly voice made Morzan's lips curl up into a smile.

"Can't I just call my son and see how he's doing?" he asked, feigning innocence.

Murtagh snorted. "Not likely! You never just call to say hi, you always want something!"

"So cynical." Morzan chuckled.

"Dad. What do you want?" Murtagh grumbled.

"There's a board dinner this weekend, all day affair. Families are invited, thought I'd ask you."

"Why would I want to go to that? And with you?"

"There'll be lots of free booze, and probably some nice looking young women." Morzan knew what it would take to make his son think about accepting.

"I'll think about it." Murtagh replied, slamming the phone down.

Most other men would probably have been disheartened by the response he had just received. But Morzan was not most men, he didn't feel rejection like other men. Morzan was a man who was dedicated to his work, he had only loved once, but that love had been taken away from him. Leaving behind a man who didn't care for much apart from work and power.

Morzan could not remember how it was he had started to work for Galbatorix in ways that were less than legal, either that or he forgotten on purpose. All he knew what that had dedicated the last 30 years of his life to Galbatorix and Empire, the early years had been tough. An underling in a department that had been headed for termination, but then Galbatorix had taken over the company, Morzan had found himself catapulted to a promotion that he had never expected.

After the takeover Morzan was suddenly a member of the board, no longer was he a nobody in a department where his future was unsure, now he was a second in command to a CEO of one of the biggest companies in the world. Knowing it was the opportunity of a lifetime he had thrown himself into the job with everything he had in him.

Unfortunately his dedication to his job had meant that he had not time for anything else, and this included his son. The gap between himself and Murtagh was now seemingly too big, no amount of family dinners with work friends could fix that, but that wasn't the reason that Morzan had tried.

As soon as he had found out that Murtagh was delivering packages to Varden and was friends with people who worked there Morzan had looked to use it to his advantage, pump him for information and find out things that were happening on the inside that he could take back to Galbatorix. But Murtagh had proved as stubborn as his father, refusing to say anything no matter how Morzan tried to convince him. It didn't worry Morzan too much, the charm offensive was just one way to gain information. In his long career Morzan had learnt and used various different methods to attract information from people, some pleasant, others...less so.

Looking at the photos on his desk again Morzan picked up one of Eragon, lifting it he started intently at the picture of the young man, lips turned up in a smirk.

"I look forward to finding out more about you." He spoke into the gloom of his office, voice echoing around the empty room.

* * *

"So it's Eragon's birthday in a few weeks." Arya looked up from her computer and at Saphira who at across from her. Arya nodded.

"Right, ok." She said before putting her head back down and replacing her hands on the keyboard.

"What are you going to get him?" Arya pulled her hands off her keyboard for the second time with a slight huff.

"I wasn't aware I had to get him anything." She replied, annoyed more because she had been wondering that morning when she woke up about what she could get him. Saphira's question was a reminder of the uncertainly she had been feeling since she had left Eragon in the car park.

"Well, you are his _friend _aren't you?" the way Saphira said the word friend caused Arya to frown.

"What was that?"

"What?" Saphira asked innocently.

"The way you said 'friend'" Arya replied narrowing her eyes.

"I didn't say it in anyway weird." Saphira said suddenly becoming interested in her fingernails. Arya kept her eyes narrowed and continued to watch Saphira, who refused to meet her eyes. Finally Arya looked away.

Across the desk Saphira glanced up again at Arya who was once again back at work. In the last couple of weeks, ever since she found out Eragon and Arya had been out on the same night she had watched them closely. During this time she had noted how they had both changed, and it all only sought to confirm her suspicions that something had happened. Whenever they were in a room together they avoided each other's eyes and barely spoke. Arya she knew was usually closed off to men, but it seemed that with Eragon she had started to open up a bit.

After another ten minutes of silence Saphira decided to do a bit of digging.

"That night you went out." She started. Arya looked up warily.

"Yeah what about it?"

"Well, you saw Eragon right?" Saphira carried on. Arya bit her lip.

"I might have done briefly. I think he was out with some of the guys from the office." She said, keeping her expression blank.

"Did anything happen?" Saphira's next question was blunt and caught Arya by surprise.

"Why would you think that?"

"Well, you two can barely stand to be in the same room together anymore, you don't speak more than two words to each other and you could cut the tension with a knife whenever you're together."

"I've been really busy; I've barely spoken to anyone the past few weeks." Arya defended herself, not even believing her own lie and knowing Saphira definitely wouldn't.

Saphira locked eyes with Arya. "You remember what we talked about a while ago? Eragon's young, impulsive and inexperienced. I don't want him getting hurt." Her expression had suddenly gone quite hard, a look Arya had never seen directed her way before. Not for the first time she saw the protectiveness that they had often joked about shining through in a very real way.

"You don't need to worry." Arya said finally. "I can't speak for Eragon's actions but I've just been busy. Nothing happened." She gave Saphira her best sincere look, hoping to convince her of the lie.

"Ok." Saphira replied a second later, the hard look in her eyes disappearing to be replaced by her familiar sparkle. "Now about his birthday, I wanted to throw him a surprise party. It'll be his first birthday in the city and I want it to be special."

"That sounds good." Arya said, trying to look enthusiastic. "If you need any help with anything let me know."

"Thanks!" Saphira grinned, standing up she checked her watch. "Right I need to go, I've got a ton of paperwork I've been avoiding all day!".

"Ok, well I'll see you later."

* * *

Arya had to wait a few hours before she could speak to Eragon about what Saphira had said. Her chance came when she was on her way down to one of the store rooms at the bottom of the building and saw Eragon heading down an empty corridor. Taking a deep breath and steeling her resolve she set off down the corridor after him.

Drawing level with him she reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him into the nearest empty room.

"What the fuck...!" Eragon regained his balance and whirled to face her.

"Listen, I know you're angry with me." Arya started, Eragon gave a snort but she ignored it. "But there's something else we need to talk about."

"What?" Eragon didn't bother hiding the harshness from his tone.

"Saphira was asking questions about that night." She didn't need to say which night she was talking about. They both knew.

"What kinds of questions?" Eragon's expression remained stony.

"If we saw each other, did anything happen."

"What did you say?"

"Well, that nothing happened. The look she was giving me told me she wouldn't be very happy if I'd said something had happened." Arya replied, even as the words were coming out of her mouth she knew how ridiculous they sounded, and Eragon's expression told her that he thought the same thing.

"Why would it be terrible if she found out?" he asked. Arya pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

"Because a while ago she told that I shouldn't do anything to lead you on." She admitted finally, cursing again just how stupid she sounded.

"Ok." Eragon said slowly. "And why is that?"

"Because...she didn't want you to get...hurt."

"So we're back to this again." Eragon said throwing his hands in the air. "We're just going round in circles here!"

"Don't get angry at Saphira, it was something that she didn't want you to know." Eragon narrowed his eyes. "Look I know it doesn't make any sense but the way things are going between us is not good for our working environment."

"I see." Eragon said. "So, is that all you're worried about? Work?"

"No." Arya replied quickly. "But Saphira is starting to get suspicious and it might just be easier for us if we could just get on." She waited for his response nervously, watching as he turned it over in his head.

Finally Eragon sighed. "I guess so." He said, running a hand through his hair.

"I am sorry Eragon." Arya said, Eragon raised his eyes so that they met her own.

Arya could see the hurt buried deep in his eyes and it killed her that it was because of her that he was feeling this way. Pangs of guilt tore at her stomach at the thought that not only had she hurt Eragon but she had also broken the promise she had made to Saphira.

"I know." The hardness faded from Eragon's expression at his words. He sighed heavily before checking his watch. "Well I should be getting back up to the office, Saphira will be wondering where I am."

"Ok." Arya nodded. Eragon turned and started to leave the room, he turned at the door, looking like he might say something. But after a few seconds he shook his head and left the room. This time it was Arya left standing alone.

* * *

Over the next few days Eragon and Arya made an effort to try and be more friendly to one another in a bid to keep Saphira's suspicions at bay. It worked, as the days progressed Saphira watched them less and less, and by the end of the week she had stopped watching them altogether. It came as a relief to both Arya and Eragon not to feel Saphira's eyes on them whenever they were all in the same room together.

"Eragon." Saphira's voice sounded through the open door of her office. Standing up Eragon moved over to the door.

"What do you want?"

"You couldn't go and grab me a coffee from the canteen could you?" Eragon sighed.

"Fine. Anything else?"

"Nope, just a coffee." Saphira grinned.

Eragon was on his way back to the office with Saphira's coffee when he heard someone calling his name, when he turned round he saw Orik walking up the corridor towards him.

"Orik!" Eragon greeted the dwarf with a wide grin. "Not seen you round here for a while."

"I know, I've been really busy the last couple of weeks. I was going to call you last week and see if you wanted to go out for a drink but something came up."

"Ah right, well I'm free tonight if you are?" Eragon said, Orik thought for a moment and checked his phone.

"Yes, I'm free, and could most definitely use a drink." He grinned.

"Great. Well I'd better get going, Saphira will want her coffee."

"Ok Eragon. I'll see you later."

When Eragon got back to his desk he could see Saphira sat as his desk, looking curiously at everything that was there.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?" Eragon asked as he moved across the room.

"I was just wondering."

"Wondering about what?"

"What it was like to be you." Saphira responded with a grin.

"And? What's the verdict?"

"Meh." Saphira replied, standing up she took the coffee from him and took a sup. "God! I needed this!" she sighed happily.

"I'll be home late tonight." Eragon told her as she made her way out from behind his desk.

"Why?"

"I'm going out for a drink with Orik."

"Ahh right ok. I'll probably be here working late anyway." Saphira said turning back to her office.

Eragon had barely sat down at his desk when his phone started ringing.

"Hello?"

"Eragon, it's Garrow."

"Uncle! How are you?"

"Very well thank you, and you?"

"I'm doing very well thank you. How are things on the farm?"

"It's going well, we've had a good few months at the farm with the weather."

"I'm glad to hear it."

"Yes. Well the reason I'm calling was I wondered if you had any time off coming up? I was hoping you might be able to come home for a while."

"I'll have to check my schedule and talk with Saphira but I'm sure she won't mind giving me some time off."

"Tell Saphira she can come too if she can spare the time." Garrow said. "It's been so long since I've seen her."

"I'm sure she'd love to come." Eragon smiled.

"Great! Well if you do manage to get some time off let me know it would be lovely to have you back for a little while."

"Yes Uncle, I'll get straight on it."

"Good, well I should get off and let you get back to work." Garrow said. "I'll hope to speak to you soon."

"Yes, speak to you soon uncle. Take care of yourself and say hello to Roran and Katrina for me."

"I will do, goodbye Eragon."

"Goodbye uncle."

"Saphira?"

"Yes?" Saphira didn't look up from her desk as Eragon loitered in the doorway.

"Is there any chance that I could have some time off in a few weeks?"

"Time off?"

"Yes, Garrow just called and asked if I could get some time off so I could go home for a few days." Saphira finally looked up from her work.

"I don't see why it would be a problem; we finish the merger in a few weeks anyway and we will all definitely be in need of a holiday then."

"Garrow said you were more than welcome to come too, if you wanted."

"Really?!" Saphira's face lit up. "I'd love too!"

"Great. Garrow really wants to see you again."

"It sounds good. I'll check the books and see when we can work something out."

"Great. Thanks Saphira."

* * *

Murtagh had often preferred his own company to that of other people's. It had stemmed from his experiences as a child. He hadn't had many friends in his early years, because of what he had experiences at the hands of his father he had been very introverted and had never connected with kids his own age. This awkwardness had not dissipated until he hit teenage years, as he grew older and became more able to take care of himself and stand up to his father more he had started to come out of her shell and integrate himself more with his fellow classmates.

It was around this time that he discovered that he was actually very good at getting the attention of the opposite sex. Very, very good at it. From the time he was 15 through to 18 he had slept with more girls than he could care to count. He drank heavily and smoked, basically rebelling in every form possible against a father who had kicked him around his entire life. Morzan could have of course put a stop to his son's rebellious nature, but that would have required him to have been around. Murtagh's father had been married to his work, he was rarely home and when he was he mostly ignored his son and locked himself away in his office.

As soon as he was 18 Murtagh had moved out, he found a flat and moved all of his things out in secret, paying the rent with a combination of money that he had stolen from his father and earned from various part time jobs he'd had since he was 14. His father hadn't realised his son had moved out for four days. When he had finally realised he had hit the roof and spent a further two days searching for him, which even with all his resources proved futile. Murtagh didn't allow his father to so much as speak to him until he was sure that he had sufficiently calmed down. Even then when they met Murtagh hadn't revealed the location of his flat.

Over the next 18 months Murtagh found himself slowly coming to a mutual understanding with his father, they would never be close, they would never have a loving relationship. But they were family. They could tolerate each other. Murtagh knew fill well that the only person his father had ever loved had been his mother, but she had left, and when she had his father had transformed, into a cold, heartless, ruthless man who had tortured him for his entire childhood.

Murtagh had gotten his current job as a delivery man after being recommended by a friend who worked in the same business, he had been moving from job to job without being able to stay in one place. The delivery job was right up his street, good pay, short working hours during the day, little responsibility and best of all it meant that he got to spend a lot of time on his beloved motorcycle, that had become his baby. Varden had become one of his most lucrative clients, with daily visits. He had also make a lot of new friends as the job was a rather social one, he had found as well that he was being called on to do more jobs for Varden, which could potentially lead to a permanent position.

Murtagh pushed open his front door and allowed his bag to slide off his shoulder and onto the floor. Heaving a sigh when he saw the red light blinking on his answer machine, knowing exactly who it would be. Reaching forward he pushed the button to play the message.

"Son. Just calling to see if you've changed your mind about the family work thing tomorrow? Call me back." His father's clipped tones sounded through the speaker. Murtagh rolled his eyes and moved through his hallway and into his living room. He slumped down on the sofa and rubbed his eyes, he'd had a longer day than he usually did and was feeling very tired. He knew he should probably call his father back, but he was so comfortable that he didn't think he would be able to get up even if he tried.

The decision was made for him however when his phone rang. With a heavy sigh Murtagh pulled himself heavily off of the sofa and trudged out into the hallway.

"Hello?"

"Son." Sure enough it was his father.

"Couldn't have waited for me to call you back?" Murtagh asked coldly.

"No."

"Well, I haven't decided if I'm coming tomorrow or not. I've had a really busy week and was looking forward to just crashing tomorrow."

"I still think you should come, it'll be fun. All the drink is free and we've not spent a lot of time together recently.!

"You know, the concerned and loving parent isn't really you." Murtagh said.

"I know, but I thought I'd see what it was like to do it." His father replied dismissively. "So, will you come?"

Murtagh sighed, he knew his father wouldn't stop asking until he caved, and he was too tired to argue with him.

"Fine, I'll come. Where is it and I'll meet you there?"

"Good." Morzan told him the address and time, as soon as he had all the details written down Murtagh hung up the phone without saying goodbye.

Murtagh fixed himself a strong drink before collapsing back on the sofa. Switching on the TV he allowed the sounds of a football game to wash over him. It annoyed him how easily it was for his father to wear him down when it came to company outings with him. When he had been a child he'd longed for his father to do things with him and now that it was finally happening he didn't want it. The only reason he agreed to them now was because, as his father had promised, there was always free alcohol and women, two of Murtagh's favourite things. Women, who once they found out that he was Morzan's son were more likely to sleep with him. Murtagh knew there was something very wrong and slightly disturbed about this fact but because it got him sex he was happy to overlook it for now.

Downing his drink Murtagh considered calling Eragon to see if he wanted to go for a drink, but before he could his rumbling stomach told him that there was something more important to attend to. Moving through to his kitchen he opened the fridge and peered expectantly into it, upon seeing nothing he sighed again and slammed the fridge door shut. A quick search of the cupboard proved fruitless as well.

"Damn it." He muttered taking a swig of the only thing he'd found in the fridge, beer. "I need food." Shaking his head as he realised he was talking to himself he grabbed his jacket and placing his beer on the counter headed out of the door.

* * *

Orik called Eragon just as he was leaving the office to tell him that he was stuck across town and would be late to the pub.

"If you want to go in and wait for me there, I won't be there long."

"Alright I'll get the drinks in." Eragon hung up the phone and pushed it back into his pocket.

It was a nice evening and as Eragon down the street away from Varden he couldn't help but admire the sun setting behind distant buildings. It wasn't as nice as watching a sun set behind rolling hills and forests but a city sunset still held its own distinct kind of beauty. The pub he had agreed to meet Orik in was not far away and it took less than 10 minutes for Eragon to walk there. His phone buzzed as he was walking into the pub, upon opening the message Eragon saw that it was from Emily, they had barely spoken for a couple of weeks and it had not gone unnoticed by her. Formulating an excuse about being busy at work as the reason for his poor communication and the promise that they would meet up within the week Eragon fired the message back to her. As he put slid his phone into his back pocket he pushed open the door to the pub, and stopped dead in his tracks.

Sat at the bar, nursing a glass of wine was Arya. She hadn't noticed him yet and Eragon found himself wondering if he could leave without her seeing him. Just as he was about to turn and leave to wait for Orik outside Arya looked up from her glass and spotted him.

"Eragon." Her voice carried a hint of surprise and she avoided meeting his eyes.

"I can err go if you want?" Eragon hastily cleared his throat and kept his gaze fixed firmly on his feet.

"No, no it's ok." Arya replied hurriedly as he made to turn around. "Stay, have a drink." Eragon approached the bar slowly, almost warily.

"Can I get you a refill?" he asked gesturing to her glass. Arya nodded and gave him a small smile.

"Thank you." Eragon signalled the barman and ordered a beer for himself and Orik and a refill of white wine for Arya. As he handed over his money Eragon slid the glass over the bar to Arya before taking the empty seat next to her. The barman handed him his change and he took a sip from his drink, very aware of the now familiar silence that had descended upon the two of them.

It was a full five minutes before either of them ventured to speak.

"Have you had a good day?" for once it was Arya who broke the silence.

"Yeah, I guess it's been ok. Yours?"

"Busy." Arya replied. "I've spent a lot of it running around cleaning up mistakes in the latest reports that should have been caught before they got to me." She sighed heavily, rubbing at her eyes. Eragon noted how tired she looked, he guessed she probably hadn't been sleeping all that much.

"Well, at least it's the weekend." He offered. Arya gave a dry chuckle.

"The way today went I'm likely to end up in work all weekend." Eragon could not fail to notice the bitterness in her voice.

"You shouldn't have to do that." He said in a bid to try and make her feel better, knowing full well it probably wouldn't help.

"I know." Arya sighed, taking a large sip of her wine. "But there's no one else to do it but me and at the moment I prefer being at work to being at home."

"Why's that?" Eragon asked, leaning forward in his seat slightly. Arya didn't answer for a few moments; instead she stared into her wine glass as if searching in its depths would reveal an answer.

"I don't know." She sighed finally, still looking into her glass. "I just feel out sorts when I'm at home."

"Oh." Eragon didn't know what to say. "Do you not have any idea why?"

"A few." Arya said finally looking up from her wine and meeting his eyes for the first time that evening. "But it will pass. It's probably just stress."

"Yeah, once this merger is finishes it will be better for everyone." Eragon agreed, taking a swig from his beer.

"Yes." Arya seemed to be speaking more to herself than him. "It should release the pressure a bit."

"I'm looking to go home for a little while once it's done." Eragon said in a bid to steer the conversation in a slightly happier direction. Arya looked up at his words.

"Oh really? That'll be nice." She said, for a second Eragon caught a hint of something in her eyes that looked like it could be envy, but as quickly as it had come it was gone.

"Yeah."

"Do you miss home?" Arya asked leaning forward on her arms. Eragon thought for a moment and shrugged.

"Sometimes. A lot of the time I'm too busy to really think about it all that much but there are times when I miss the farm yeah."

"And your uncle?"

"Garrow? I miss him, I feel bad sometimes, especially recently about leaving him." Eragon frowned, wondering why it was that he had just admitted that.

"Why's that? Surely he's happy that you're doing what you want to do?" Arya questioned, moving a little closer.

Eragon sighed. "It's not that." He said. "I know that he's happy for me, and that he would never try and stop me from doing something that I wanted to do, but he's getting older, and I worry about him. With Roran spending more time with Katrina I feel he's being left on his own more and he can't manage so well with the farm."

"I see." Arya said quietly.

"I want to be here, I love being here and having this opportunity. But there are times that wonder that maybe I should be back helping Garrow with the farm." It was Eragon's turn to stare gloomily into his glass, the feelings that had been building up for the past few days coming rushing to the fore of his mind. There had been many nights he had lain awake thinking about his uncle and how he was coping on the phone. The last few times Eragon had spoken to Roran it seemed that his cousin had spoken less and less about Garrow and the farm and more about the plans he had with Katrina, Eragon didn't have the heart to tell his cousin that he should be focusing more on his ageing father than his girlfriend.

Eragon was shocked to feel Arya cover his hand with her own.

"You shouldn't feel guilty." Arya tilted her head, encouraging him to look at her, when he met her eyes she carried on. "Trust me when I say that. You have nothing to feel guilty about, from what I've heard about your uncle he just wants the best for you and he would never have any ill feelings towards you because you wanted to pursue a dream." She squeezed his hand gently and Eragon unconsciously squeezed back, keeping a grip on her fingers.

"Thank you." He said softly. Arya smiled, a smile that reached her eyes as well.

"You're welcome." She replied. "I know what it's like to feel guilty about doing the thing you love, and to feel like you're letting down the people you love. My father he..." she trailed off and looked down at the bar, as if trying to find the right words.

"What?" Eragon coaxed her, taking a firmer grasp of her hand.

"...he died a while ago, and I wasn't around as much as I felt I should have been." She said finally, and Eragon could hear the pain in her voice. This was the first time she had ever mentioned her father to him, and he could see that despite the fact that time had passed she was still deeply upset by his death.

"I'm sure you did everything you could." Eragon told her gently, this time the one doing the comforting. Without realising it he found his thumb tracing soft circles on her hand as he leaned closer.

"I know I did, but there's just always that doubt." Arya sighed, looking up, a sad look in her eyes. "I'm sorry." She said after a moment's silence. "You shouldn't have to deal with this, I'll be fine in a minute."

"It's ok." Eragon smiled. "I don't mind, besides you shouldn't have to feel the need to bottle it all up inside like that."

"I don't usually." Arya replied. "It's just around this time every year, it becomes a little raw."

"I can understand that." Eragon said. Arya looked up and met his eyes once again and he found himself unable to look away.

"Thank you." She said. Eragon didn't ask what for, he just smiled and nodded, bringing his other hand up he placed it over hers. Arya looked down at the contact, for a moment she stared at their hands resting on each others before slowly dragging her eyes back up to meet his own. The emotions he saw there caused Eragon's breath to hitch in his throat.

The moment was ruined by the sound of the bar door opening loudly and Orik's voice booming through the doorway as he strode in, phone pressed to his ear.

"Yes, yes. Brilliant! Have them email me in the morning and we'll get it all finalised tomorrow! Thank you." The dwarf strode over to the bar even as Arya and Eragon quickly pulled their hands away from each other and turned to face him. "Arya, what a pleasant surprise." Orik grinned as he reached them and took his beer from Eragon with a thankful nod.

"It's good to see you again Orik." Arya said with a smile. Orik heaved himself into a seat and took a long swig of his drink, draining a third of it in one.

"Oh thank god it's the weekend." He said when he'd put his glass back down on the bar. "Don't think I could have taken another day like today."

"Why, what happened?" Eragon asked.

"Everything that could have gone wrong seemed to go wrong, reports got lost, people were off sick, nothing was in the right place." Orik shook his head. "Sometimes I wonder how my company functions at all."

"I get that feeling a lot." Arya chuckled dryly from next to Eragon. Risking a glance her way he saw that the mask she wore most of the time was back up, the vulnerable sad Arya he had been speaking to had gone.

Arya drained the last of her glass of wine made to stand up. "Well I should be going, enjoy your drink boys."

"No, you must stay." Orik insisted, whilst signalling the barman. "I'll get the next round, it's the weekend, sit, relax and enjoy yourself." Arya looked to Eragon who gave the smallest of shrugs.

"Ok." She smiled, putting her jacket back on the chair and sitting back down. "I suppose a couple of drinks wouldn't hurt."

* * *

Murtagh had decided to walk to find food instead of taking his motorbike, and that was how he found himself walking past the pub where Eragon, Arya and Orik were drinking. Glancing up just as he passed the door, Murtagh spied Eragon's distinctive curled hair by the bar and slowed his pace. A closer look into the bar revealed that Eragon was sat with the dwarf who had recognised him as Morzan's son and the beautiful woman from Eragon's office who seemed strangely resilient to his charms.

Torn between wanting to go and find food and the desire to go and say hello to his friend Murtagh loitered about in the doorway to the pub, finally he decided that his stomach could wait and marched into the pub.

"Hey." Tapping Eragon on the shoulder he gave his friend a wide grin when he turned round.

"Murtagh! I didn't expect to see you here!" Eragon clasped his arm and grinned back at him.

"Well I was passing and saw you through the door, I'm not interrupting anything am I?" Murtagh asked, his gaze moving from the dwarf to the woman, the former was watching him with a wary disdain whilst the latter had barely glanced at him.

"No not at all. Would you look to join us?" Eragon gave a quick glance to both his companions as if to check that this was ok, both nodded. "Brilliant! Maybe we should move to a table, so there's more room?" Murtagh watched as a small smile stretched the woman's lips and she watched Eragon bustling about picking up coats and drinks so that they could all sit down.

As they were moving things over to the table Murtagh took a deep breath and moved to stand next to the dwarf who was stood by the bar ordering another round of drinks.

"Listen, I wanted to apologise for the way I stormed out the last time we met." He said, the dwarf turned to face him. "That was rude and I shouldn't have done it."

"It is no matter." The dwarf replied briskly, "For my part I should not have addressed the issue of your father in the manner that I did and for that I am sorry." The dwarf leaned forward and fixed Murtagh with a hard stare. "But having said that just because you have Eragon's trust does not mean that you have mine Morzan's son. Remember that." Murtagh took a deep breath and nodded, releasing it only as the dwarf moved away to the table.

Eragon watched the exchange between Murtagh and Orik from the table, a frown knotting his forehead.

"You don't mind that I invited Murtagh to join us do you?" he asked Arya who was sat on his left. She looked up from her phone and gave a slight shrug.

"No." She replied. Eragon suppressed a sigh, it seemed that Arya had once again retreated into her shell and that short clipped answers were all he was going to receive that night.

Orik returned a moment later with a new round of drinks.

"Your friend just apologised for his behaviour the last time we met." The dwarf told Eragon pushing his drink across the table to him.

"Did he? That was good of him." Eragon replied. The dwarf shrugged.

"I guess, maybe he's not as much like his father as I had heard." Eragon chose not to reply to the comment, nor did he give response to the cough that Arya gave beside him. Murtagh joined them at that moment, settling into a seat on the other side of Eragon.

For the next half an hour Murtagh sat in silence as Eragon and Orik talked with Arya making the occasional input. They talked about things happening at Varden, but Eragon noted they never allowed the conversation to drift to anything too important, and Eragon knew why. They didn't want to run the risk of Murtagh hearing something he shouldn't and running off to tell his father.

The atmosphere was so tense that Eragon was relieved when both Arya and Orik announced that they had to leave within five minutes of each other. Arya left with a swift goodbye to Orik and a tight smile for Eragon, she barely even looked at Murtagh. Orik was friendlier, even going so far as to shake Murtagh's hand before he left.

As the dwarf disappeared out the door Murtagh let out a heavy sigh.

"Sorry, I didn't realise my presence would cause such a tense atmosphere." He apologised. Eragon waved it away.

"It's fine, it's not your fault you can't control who your father is. But you can understand why they're wary?"

"Of course I can." Murtagh sighed again and ran a hand through his hair.

"Speaking of your father, I met him."

"You did?! When?!" Murtagh frowned.

"At a trade's conference a couple of weeks back." Eragon explained.

"Wow. And what did you think of him?"

"He terrified me." Eragon admitted. "The funny thing was...was that he knew who I was." Murtagh frowned again.

"What do you mean?"

"He knew my name, he knew I was friends with you and he seemed to hint that he knew more." Eragon watched his friend closely.

"My father has a lot of ways of getting information. I don't recall ever talking to him about you, so wherever his information has come from it hasn't been me." Murtagh assured him. "But if he does know things about you Eragon I would be wary, it means that he's taken an interest in you and that can never be a good thing."

* * *

The weekend brought with it more rain, rain that made the city look muggy and grey. Eragon pulled his jacket up closer around his neck and quickened his pace as he walked down the street. It was Sunday afternoon and he was on his way home after meeting up for a drink with Thorn and Chris. Because of the heavy rain the streets were almost deserted and it seemed eerily quiet. Eragon shook his hair, trying to rid some of the drops there, but only resulted in flinging them down the neck of his jacket and inside his t-shirt.

The sound of a car slowing next to him caused Eragon to look up, squinting against the rain. A sleek black car had pulled up against the kerb and one of the back windows was being lowered. Inside the car sat Morzan, he leered out of the car at Eragon.

"Eragon! Do you need a lift?"

"No thank you, I'm fine." Eragon said flatly starting to walk again, the rumble of the car engine and the splashing told him that Morzan's car was keeping pace with him.

"Come on now, I'm just trying to be friendly. It's tipping it down, at least come into the warm and let me take you where you need to go."

"I'm fine really."

"I just want to talk." Eragon stopped walking and sighed. Murtagh had told him how persistent his father could be, and he was now seeing it firsthand. Realising that the man wasn't going to give up he huffed and walking over to the car opened the door.

The back of the car was so spacious that Eragon could sit opposite Morzan, unwilling to place himself next to him. Eragon perched on the edge of his seat, breathing in the scent of expensive leather and the smoke that was coming from the cigar that Morzan clasped between the fingers of his right hand.

"So, Eragon. How have you been?"

"Fine thanks."

"Good, good." Morzan smiled and once again Eragon felt very unnerved by it, it was if Morzan was smiling to a joke that only he knew the punch line too. "You know you intrigue me young man." Morzan continued, bringing the cigar slowly up to his mouth he took a long drag. "For someone so...well ordinary there is an awful lot of fuss about you."

"Fuss?" Eragon's curiosity got the better of him.

"Yes, everywhere I go I seem to hear your name." Eragon was thoroughly confused now, there was nothing special about him. He was just a office boy.

"Maybe you're hearing about a different Eragon."

"Oh no." Morzan leant forward, exhaling smoke right into Eragon's face that was so thick it made his eyes sting. "No people are definitely talking about you."

"I wouldn't know why." Eragon replied, trying not to let his face show just how nervous he was becoming. Morzan chuckled and leant back.

"I'm sure time will tell." He said cryptically. "Isn't this you?"

Eragon didn't realise the car had come to a stop until Morzan pushed open the door. Peering out into the rain he saw that they were parked at the top of his road. Panic flashed through his chest as he realised that Morzan knew where he lived.

"Don't worry. I don't know the exact address." The panic must have shown on his face as it caused Morzan to laugh again. Eragon clambered out of the car as quickly as he could. "Oh Eragon," Morzan said as he closed the door. "Do tell Saphira that I said hello. It's been a while since I've seen her." With that he closed the door and the car pulled smoothly away from the curb and away into growing gloom.

Eragon stood by the side of the road, grateful for the rain that pounded down on his skin, washing away the feel of the car he had just been. And the man who's words still echoed worryingly round in his head.

* * *

**Well? I'll admit I have a rough idea where the story is going to end up but right now I'm writing blind, I find my creative juices flow better that way! Anyway let me know what you thought of the chapter and review! Sorry again about the wait. Hope everyone has a brilliant Christmas and New Year! :D**

**Pirate-x-Girls**


	15. Chapter 14

******Hey guys! As promised this chapter comes to you before I go back to uni and I hope everyone likes it.**

* * *

**Flashes**

**Chapter 14**

Arya looked down at her laptop with barely concealed disdain. It was a Sunday and all day it had been sat on the coffee table in her living room, taunting her. 'Why aren't you doing any work?' it seemed to say. She had spent the day cleaning her flat in a bid to avoid looking at it, usually cleaning calmed her as she could concentrate wholly on the task and not let her mind wander off, it gave a chance to focus and block everything else out. But on this particular day it hadn't been working, she still felt distracted.

"Stupid machine." She muttered to herself as she passed the laptop for the third time in as many minutes. She considered putting it away in a bag, but she knew from experience that it would just have the same result; she'd end up glaring at the bag. Putting the last of her laundry away Arya stopped and looked around her small flat. Everything was now immaculate, right where it should be, and yet she still felt restless.

Deciding food would be her next distraction she crossed swiftly to the kitchen and pulled open the fridge. It was as she was choosing ingredients that she heard the shrill ringing of her phone in the next room. With a sigh she pushed the fridge door shut and stomped back into the living room.

"Hello?" she all but snapped into the phone.

"Charming." Saphira's voice sounded on the other end of the line. Despite her bad mood Arya found a smile twitching her lips.

"Sorry Saphira, I'm cleaning."

"But that usually makes you so happy."

"I wouldn't say it makes me happy..."

"It does! I've watched you clean before; you get this weird smile on your face! If I wasn't so weirded out by it I'd make you come and clean my flat."

"Because that's what's stopping me from cleaning your flat." Arya snorted dropping down on the sofa.

"Yes. Anyway we're off topic, I've had a bitch of a week and need to unwind so I was thinking wine and a movie at yours tonight?" Arya looked at her laptop again before she answered.

"Yeah sure why not. I don't have any wine though."

"Well, looks like you'll have to go out and get some." Saphira replied. "I'll be round in an hour!" without saying goodbye Saphira hung up the phone leaving Arya shaking her head. She didn't think she would ever get used to Saphira's odd ways. Putting the phone back in the cradle she pushed herself to her feet.

"In your face." she muttered to the laptop as she grabbed her keys off the side and headed out of the front door.

* * *

The rain had finally stopped, but had been replaced by cold. Winds whipped at Arya's coat as she made her way down the street towards the shops. Pulling her coat closer to her Arya sighed heavily watching her breath cloud out in front of her.

The supermarket was heaving when Arya got there, causing a frown to crease her forehead. She didn't like crowds at the best of times, but supermarkets were one of her pet hates. People were so disorganised and loud never looking where they were going and generally just being a nuisance. Slipping through the people with a practiced ease Arya headed straight for the alcohol aisle, once there she suppressed a sigh when she saw a large group of youths stood in mouth of the aisle. All of them were clearly underage, the biggest tell tale being their shifty eyes as they stood in front of the spirits. Arya gritted her teeth and pushed past them, ignoring the frustrated looks they sent her way as she passed in front of what they were looking at.

She came to a stop in front of the wine and ran her eyes over the selection available. Saphira was very picky when it came to wine so Arya took a few moments more than she usually would have to pick a bottle.

It was as she was reaching out to pluck a bottle from the shelf that a hand appeared, reaching for the same bottle.

"Oh I'm sorr..." Arya started but the apology died in her throat as she turned and found herself looking into Emily's smiling face.

"Oh that's quite alright!" the other woman beamed. "You take it!" Arya nodded her thanks and reached for the bottle again.

"So how have you been?" Arya had just been about to turn away and make a quick getaway when Emily's question stopped her. Repressing a sigh Arya plastered a small fake smile on her face to hide the irritation she felt at being forced into a conversation.

"Fine thank you. And yourself?"

"Very well thanks. Eragon said you guys had been very busy at work." Arya nodded.

"Yes it has been a very busy time for us all." There was silence following her statement and Arya hoped that this would be the end of the conversation and she would be able to make her escape, but unfortunately for Arya, Emily hadn't finished.

"We should all meet up for drinks sometime."

"We?"

"Yes, you me, Eragon and Saphira. I enjoyed getting to know you all at the dinner party and would like to do it again." Emily was still smiling and Arya wondered a little bitterly if her face was permanently stuck like that.

"That sounds like a very good idea." She lied, allowing her fake smile to stretch another inch. It had the desired effect and Emily nodded happily.

"Great! Well I must dash, got a busy evening ahead of me. It was lovely to see you." The younger woman laid a hand on Arya's arm, and Arya was once again surprised by the genuine tone to her voice.

"You too." She replied shortly as Emily left, waving goodbye as she did so.

Arya lingered for a moment longer after the encounter, looking down at the bottle in her hand and back to the ones on the shelf. After a moment's thought she grabbed 3 more bottles off the shelf and headed to the checkout.

* * *

As promised Saphira arrived exactly an hour after she had phoned Arya. She announced herself by rapping continuously on the door until Arya opened it with a frustrated scowl.

"Must you always do that?!" she demanded. Saphira shrugged and pushed her way past her friend into the flat.

"It gets you to the door quicker, and I always gets such a wonderful reaction." She replied sitting on the sofa and putting her feet up on the coffee table. Arya hid a smile as she closed the door and turned to face Saphira. "Were you working today?" Saphira asked indicating the laptop on the table. Arya shook her head and plucked the object in question off the table and stowing it away in its bag.

"No and I've been feeling guilty all day about not doing it, the laptop's been taunting me. Wine?"

"God yes!" Saphira was up and already headed through to the kitchen before Arya could finish getting the sentence out of her mouth. Shaking her head with barely concealed amusement Arya followed Saphira into the kitchen.

Two glasses of wine later and Arya was starting to feel the uneasiness and restlessness that had been plaguing her all day starting to melt out her system, allowed her to relax for what seemed like the first time in ages.

"I've got that meeting with Ajihad tomorrow." Saphira said from beside her. Arya turned her head to look at her friend.

"Oh yeah, sorry again that I can't be there for it."

"It's ok. It probably wouldn't have needed both of us there anyway. Ajihad did sound rather stressed though when he called me about it the other day. I hope everything's ok."

"I'm sure it will be." Arya assured her, whilst trying to quell her own worries she had. There had been rumours in the last weeks, rumours that Arya did not want to believe. Rumours that Galbatorix had finally turned his attention on Varden, and that kind of attention was never a good thing. Arya had not mentioned to Saphira any of her fears as she didn't want to worry her partner with something that might not be true. "You know what Ajihad's like he gets stressed over everything; it's probably just Sloan giving him a hard time again."

"One of these days that man is gonna push the wrong button and then..." Saphira trailed off making a throttling gesture with one of her hands. Arya laughed.

"I'm pretty sure there are a lot of people who feel that way about Sloan." She said. "I know I certainly do." Saphira nodded her agreement and drained the last of her wine, picking up the bottle she peered at it.

"Looks like we're done with this one. Shall I get the next one?"

"Please." Arya responded, Saphira heaved herself off the sofa and Arya could hear her bustling around the in the kitchen.

"So Eragon had a date this evening." Saphira called through a moment later. It was the first time that Saphira had spoken to Arya about Eragon since a couple of weeks prior when she had been fishing for details about what had happened on their night out.

"Oh really." Arya replied, grateful that Saphira was out of sight. At the mention of Eragon's name her stomach had jumped and then plummeted as she realised what it was that Saphira had said.

"Yeah, he's with Emily. He said it wasn't a date that they were just meeting up as friends, but I don't believe him. I mean he's taking her to dinner and then she's coming back to the flat."

"That would explain the wine." Arya muttered.

"What wine?" Saphira asked placing the newly uncorked bottle on the coffee table in front of them, Arya hadn't realised that she had heard.

"I saw Emily in the supermarket when I was buying the wine earlier." She explained.

"Ahh that's nice! She's such a lovely girl." Saphira smiled pouring herself a generous amount of wine.

"Yeah." Arya agreed with little conviction. "She said we should all go for drinks at some point." As soon as the words we out of her mouth Arya regretted them, Saphira's face lit up.

"That's a brilliant idea."

"Figures." Arya muttered reaching once again for the wine bottle.

* * *

Eragon put his knife and fork back down onto his plate and sighed contentedly.

"That was wonderful." He said patting his stomach. Across the table from him Emily smiled and laced her fingers together, resting her elbows on the table.

"See, I told you this place was good." She said. Eragon shook his head.

"Yes, once again you were right." He admitted causing Emily to laugh.

"If you just accepted that I'm right most of the time you would save yourself a lot of bother." She teased; Eragon rolled his eyes and signalled the waiter to bring their bill.

"You're very self assured you know?" he replied pulling his wallet out of his pocket.

"I'm training to be a lawyer I have to be self assured." Emily grinned. "No lawyer ever won a case by doubting themselves."

"I guess not." Eragon agreed placing some money on the table. "You ready to get out of here?"

The night was a clear one so the pair decided to walk the 20 minute walk back to Eragon's flat. The conversation was light and easy but in the back of his mind Eragon still felt uneasy.

It had been a few days since his last encounter with Morzan and Eragon still felt a little shaken by what had happened. The idea that Morzan knew where he lived and Eragon still didn't believe that he didn't know the flat number, was something that had kept Eragon awake at night. He had thought about telling Saphira about what had happened, but had never been able to get the words out. He didn't like that Morzan had been able to get to him that easily and he knew exactly how Saphira would have reacted, she would panic and she would worry about it, and Eragon did not want to return to where she treated him like a child.

"You've been awfully quiet." Emily noted as they turned a corner and moved down a deserted street.

"Huh?" Eragon shook his head of the gloomy thought he'd been having and looked at Emily.

"I said you've been rather quiet since we left the restaurant. Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, sorry I was just thinking." Eragon said giving her a reassuring smile.

Movement out of the corner of his eye caught Eragon's attention. Turning his head slightly he saw a shadowy figure on the other side of the road keeping pace with them as they walked. Something about the figure put Eragon on edge. He increased his pace ever so slightly and was relieved when Emily did the same without seeming to notice his uneasiness. The figure across the road appeared to speed up as well, causing Eragon to feel even more worried.

A street light on the other side of the road illuminated the figure and Eragon saw that it was a man, his features thrown into sharp relief by the orange light of the street light. Eragon narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at the man, he looked familiar and Eragon had a horrible feeling that he had been driving the car that Morzan had picked him up in a few days beforehand. Feeling more uncomfortable than ever Eragon placed a hand on Emily's back and as subtly as he could guided her down a quick side street that rejoined the well lit and busy main road.

Risking a glance over his shoulder Eragon saw the man was still stood under the street light and he could have sworn that the man was smirking.

Eragon insisted on taking a more roundabout way to his flat, claiming that he needed the fresh air. He kept a wary eye to make sure that they weren't being followed.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Emily asked when they finally made it back to the flat and Eragon put the chain on the door.

"Yeah I'm fine. I've just heard about a lot of burglaries in the area recently." He lied shrugging his jacket off and taking hers off her. "Do you want some wine?"

"I'd love some." Emily smiled, seemingly satisfied with his lie. Eragon gave another smile and after placing the jackets on one of the chairs he went through to the kitchen and picked out the bottle of wine that Emily had dropped off earlier.

The next hour passed in relative comfort and Emily's conversation allowed Eragon to forget mostly about the man who he seen under the street light. It had been a while since the two had hung out and Eragon found himself slipping back into a comfortable routine with her. The wine in the bottle slowly depleted until Eragon was pouring in the last drops into Emily's glass.

"So I saw Arya today." Emily said settling back against the sofas as Eragon put the now empty bottle on the table.

"Oh did you?" he said trying not to sound too interested.

"Yeah, she was buying some wine. She looked a little stressed."

"Yeah well it's been a rough time at work recently. We finish the merger soon so there's pressure to get things done and a lot of that falls on Arya." He replied.

"I can imagine. I suggested that we should all go out for drinks sometime." Eragon could feel Emily watching him and nodded.

"Yeah that sounds like it would be a good idea." Inside Eragon was cursing. He had managed to be civil to Arya and the two of them had maintained the impression that everything was fine when they were around Saphira, and there had been their interaction in the pub which had had him lying awake at night going over and over again in his head. Admittedly that incident had been pushed to the back of his mind since Morzan had picked him up but now that Emily had mentioned Arya the memories of it were flooding back into the forefront of his mine.

There were a few minutes of silence after this conversation where Emily continued to watch Eragon. A calculating look on her face.

Finally he couldn't take it anymore.

"You obviously have something to say why don't you just say it?!" he half laughed. Emily arched an eyebrow.

"You like her." The three words were short and to the point.

"Like who?" Eragon played dumb, knowing exactly who Emily was talking about. The look on Emily's face told him that she knew what he was doing.

"You know who I'm talking about Eragon. Arya." Eragon could feel his defence rising in his throat, but somehow the words wouldn't come out.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He finally managed to croak.

"Yes you do." Emily retorted, not believing him for a second. Eragon took a sip of his wine, using the time to compose his thoughts and his face. He didn't know why he was fighting so hard to have Emily believe he didn't like Arya. After all it wasn't a crime to fancy someone, but now that Emily had asked him he found that he didn't want to admit to his feelings, the same as he hadn't wanted to admit them to Saphira. Maybe it was because the two were so similar and he wanted to keep his emotions and fears to himself for the time being.

"I have only the utmost professional respect for Arya." He said finally, relieved that he sounded more confident and what he hoped was convincing.

Emily didn't look convinced, but she seemed reluctant to push the subject. Shaking her head and fixing him with a stare.

"Fine, if you say so. But I still think you're lying." The words were accompanied by a small smile and a shove that had Eragon laughing a little nervously.

"That's just the lawyer in you talking." He countered. Emily laughed and shook head again.

"Perhaps."

Eragon insisted on calling Emily a taxi when she finally left, still uneasy with the idea that they could have been followed.

"I had a lovely time tonight." Emily said to him as he walked her downstairs to her taxi.

"So did I, we should do it again soon." Eragon agreed. When they reached the front door of the lobby Emily stopped and pulled him into a hug.

"I'll see you soon." She pulled back with a smile and pressed a kiss to his cheek before disappearing out of the door towards the taxi that was waiting by the kerb.

* * *

Eragon arrived at work the next day tired and on edge. He had spent the entire journey with Saphira over scanning the pavements and roads for any sigh of the man who had been following him the night before. His unease was so palpable that Saphira had asked three times what was wrong.

"Really I'm fine." Eragon insisted the third time she had asked. "I just didn't sleep very well last night, I just need a cup of coffee and I'll be fine."

"I know what you mean." Saphira groaned pulling the car into the car park. "I've been craving caffeine all morning."

The pair rode up in the elevator together, clutching their piping hot coffees in their hands. As the doors pinged open Eragon felt his heart sink slightly at the sight of a huge stack of papers on his desk.

"Why? Why do I always come in on a Monday to find this?!" he moaned moving over to his desk and leafing through the first sheets.

"Be grateful you just have to skim that! I'm the one who has to read it in full, make changes and sign it all off before I can even get onto the million other things I'm supposed to be doing." Saphira told him unlocking her office door and placing her bag on the floor.

"I suppose." Eragon mumbled, feeling a little guilty. It was true he got off quite lightly when it came to work loads.

"Shit." Saphira emerged from her office looking at her watch. "I'm late for my meeting with Ajihad. I'll catch up with you later, if anyone calls let them know I'm in a meeting and will call them back."

Saphira hurried down the corridor from the lift towards Ajihad's office, coming to a stop outside the door she took a second to catch her breath before knocking sharply on the door.

"Come in." Saphira pushed open the door and edged her way into the room, even now almost two years after she had started working for Varden she still found herself getting a little nervous in the presence of its leader.

"Ahh Saphira!" Ajihad smiled when she sat down opposite him, but it was strained. She could immediately tell that something was bothering him, and that made her nervous. "This shouldn't take long I know you must be busy."

"Pretty busy." Saphira agreed shifting in her seat.

"Right." Ajihad cleared his throat and laced his fingers together. "What I'm about to tell you should remain in the strictest confidence." This sentence alone was enough to fill Saphira with dread.

"I understand." She said, not sure she wanted to know what was going to be said next.

"Ok." The CEO of Varden sighed and sucked in a deep breath. "It has been become apparent in the last few months that we have been drawing a little too much attention to ourselves."

"I don't follow." Saphira frowned.

"Before we started our negotiations with Dûrgrimst, we were working hard to stay under the radar, specifically Empire's radar." When Saphira continued to frown Ajihad tried a different approach. "We've been getting Intel in the last few years that Empire's expansion may have been more rapid than we previously thought, and more aggressive too. It's well known that any company Galbatorix thinks might become a threat in the future to him and his company is quickly dismantled, bought out or goes bankrupt. We have for the most part been able to stay off their radar, but since we entered into a merger with Dûrgrimst, a company that Galbatorix had made it very clear that he wanted to buy out we have become aware of certain things."

"Like what?" Saphira didn't like what the head of the company was getting at.

"We believe that Empire might be sabotaging us." Ajihad said. "You remember a few months ago you were wondering where some of the aid funds you were sending overseas was going?" Saphira nodded. "Well we now have reason to believe that Empire was behind its disappearance."

"I see." Saphira said. "So what can we do about it?"

"Not much." Ajihad sighed. "Except try and limit the damage where we can and keep an eye out for how they're getting all their information on us."

"Do you think they have an insider? Someone inside the company?" Saphira asked. Ajihad didn't reply straight away but the look on his face told Saphira that that's exactly what he thought.

"Perhaps. Which is why I want as few people as possible to know about this. I will be bringing Arya up to speed when she's back tomorrow, seeing as you two are heavily involved in this merger I felt it was of paramount importance that you were both appraised of the situation."

"Yes I can understand that." Saphira said feeling very nervous.

"Right well, I don't mean to take up any more of your time." Ajihad stood and offered her a reassuring smile.

"Yes thanks for letting me know."

"Saphira." Ajihad stopped her as she was about to open the door. "We also have reason to believe that Galbatorix isn't above making personal attacks on people who've been actively involved in the merger. You haven't noticed anything strange have you? Nothing out of the ordinary that you think I should know about?"

"Not that I can think of sir." Saphira replied. Ajihad nodded and smiled, allowing her to leave the room.

* * *

Saphira spent most of the day out of the office in meetings, leaving Eragon mostly to his own devices. There was plenty to keep him busy and he was happy for the peace and quiet.

Brom wandered into the officer a little after lunch. The older man had been coming and going in the few weeks that he had been back at Varden, often disappearing for days on end without anyone knowing where he had gone. Eragon had come to learn that this was not unusual behaviour, when Brom had been working at Varden before his years abroad he had often been unpredictable and hard to keep tabs on. It was his way and no one was about to tell him that he couldn't do it.

"How's things?" Brom asked settling down opposite Eragon.

"Not so bad, how about with you? I haven't seen all that much of you since you came back." Eragon replied.

"Yes, and I'm sorry about that. I've had a lot to attend to since I got back, going abroad meant I left a lot of things behind, and I'm sorry you were one of them."

"It's ok." Eragon waved away the apology. "Have you spoken to Garrow yet?"

"Yes I called him a couple of days after I got back. I think he's rather relieved that I'm here keeping an eye on you." Brom smiled, a familiar twinkle in his eye.

"Yes I can imagine he is, I don't think he was all that comfortable having me in a strange city so far away from him."

"He does worry about you, but then again he always has." Brom told him.

"He's always worried about me more than he has about Roran."

"Well you were always smaller." Brom laughed, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. "Even as a baby when your mother gave birth you were so small!"

"Did you ever meet my mother?" Eragon asked, he had always known that Brom had been a near constant in his life and had often wondered if the two's paths had ever crossed.

A strange look passed over Brom's face darkening it and making him appear quite sinister. Eragon recognised it as the look Brom would sometimes get when he was telling stories from his time as a soldier; it was as if he was remembering something painful.

After a few seconds the look had gone and Brom was back to his usual self. "I did meet your mother a few times, when you were very young, too young to remember."

"What was she like?" Eragon had very few memories of his mother and most of them were tinged with sadness and abandonment. He had often tried to get information out of Garrow but his uncle had been surprisingly tight lipped when it came to his younger sister. He hoped that Brom would be able to tell him more.

Brom seemed hesitant to answer Eragon's question, but after a few seconds of indecision he began to speak. "You're mother loved you very much, that much was clear the few times I did meet her." He seemed to be choosing his words carefully, taking time to think about them. "She wanted to be able to be there for you, to bring you up but..." Brom paused.

"Do you know why she left?"

"Nobody knew Eragon." Brom replied, but he couldn't meet Eragon's eye. He was lying.

"Did she ever mention my father?" Eragon decided to try a different tack.

"Your father, was not something your mother wanted to talk about. He was a coward, a man who couldn't step up to responsibility and give you the future you and your mother deserved." Brom seemed to be speaking more to himself than Eragon. Looking up he locked eyes with the younger man. "I know you want answers Eragon, I know that you want to know why you were left but have you ever considered perhaps that sometimes the past is best left there."

"I have often." Eragon said. "But at the same time I want to know where I've come from." Brom leant forward and in a rare show of affection took one of Eragon's hands between his own.

"You have come from a loving family. Garrow was the best father you could ever hope to have had, and in Roran you have a brother." Eragon nodded, able to see the sense in what Brom was saying.

"You're right. I just sometimes wonder what my life would have been like had my mother not given me away."

"That I can understand. But trust me when I say that dwelling on issues in the past is not a good idea Eragon. Spend too long looking at what has been, and you forget to look at what is coming next." Brom allowed a small smile. "And that my boy is always a lot more exciting."

The ringing of Brom's phone pierced the silence that followed his words. Pulling it out of his pocket Brom raised the phone to his ear.

"Hello." he listened for a moment. "Where did this happen?" standing up he sent Eragon a apologetic look. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Where are you going?" Eragon asked as Brom put his phone back in his jacket.

"Something has been drawn to my attention." Brom answered. "I'm sorry I have to leave Eragon I know you wanted a proper catch up but I promise you we will talk more."

"It's ok. I have plenty to be getting on with anyway." Brom smiled, patting Eragon on the shoulder he strode out of the office, leaving Eragon behind to think about what the older man had said.

* * *

Murtagh tugged nervously at his tie and checked his watch for what must have been the third time in about a minute. He was stood outside one of the nicest restaurants in the city, waiting on his father. Once a month the two of them got together to have dinner, it was the only way Murtagh had been able to stop his father from bugging him about the two of them meeting.

His father always insisted on choosing the restaurant, which invariably meant they would be eating in places more fancy than Murtagh ever felt comfortable in, and places that would usually always draw the media to take photos and do their best to get a quote from one of the most powerful men in the city.

Murtagh knew that his father did this deliberately so that the newspapers could print stories of the close relationship between Galbatorix's right hand man and his son. He didn't like it but one of the conditions that Morzan had insisted on when they had struck the deal was that he picked the restaurant; Murtagh had no choice but to oblige to keep his father from attempting to interfere further in his life.

Finally after a further ten minutes of waiting Murtagh spied his father's car pull up at the kerb. The driver got out and throwing Murtagh a look of thinly veiled contempt hurried round to open the door for Morzan.

"Son!" Morzan advanced towards him with his trademark smirk in place. True to form the media weren't far behind and as Morzan pulled him into a brief hug Murtagh could see several flashes going off out of the corner of his eye.

"Father." He replied stiffly when Morzan let him go. "Shall we go in?"

"Always in such a hurry," his father tutted. "Go and amuse yourself for a couple of hours." He told his driver before slinging an arm round Murtagh's shoulder and steering him into the restaurant.

The waiters inside the restaurant were falling over themselves to give Morzan the best table in the restaurant, knowing that they had to do everything to keep the man happy. One wrong word from someone of his importance and a restaurants reputation could be ruined forever.

"So how have you been?" Morzan asked as they settled down at their table and the waiters scurried away to get them complimentary champagne.

"Same old, same old. Not much has changed." Murtagh replied gruffly picking up his menu he pretended to be very interested in what was available.

"You need to start living son." Morzan said, his menu unopened.

"I'm living just fine thank you." Murtagh said wearily. His father was the only man on the planet who could reduce to the nervous introverted child he had been, Morzan knew this and exploited it mercilessly.

"How's the job?" Morzan accepted his free glass of champagne without so much as a glance in the waiter's direction.

"It's going well. Nice to be doing something that I want to do." Murtagh said placing his menu to one side after making his order.

"Not much room for moving up though is there?" Morzan scoffed. "Galbatorix asked after you by the way." at the mention of Empire's CEO Murtagh stiffened.

"Did he?" he tried to keep his voice level.

"Yes, he wonders when you're going to give up this little tantrum you've been having with this delivery job and come and work for us, like you're supposed to."

"It's not a tantrum." Murtagh protested through gritted teeth. "I've told you both that I will never work for Empire."

"Yes you did, but people can always be persuaded." Morzan said sipping his drink with a smile that Murtagh had come to learn to fear. "However, Galbatorix does consider it useful that whilst you pursue your little 'dream' that you're inside Varden."

"I've told you before, I don't know anything about Varden and even if I did I wouldn't tell you or Galbatorix. I don't want to get involved in whatever it is you're doing there."

"That is a shame. Any information you did have would be so...valuable." Morzan chuckled. "But I'll tell you something, you continue to stick by your new friends so valiantly and I can promise you something, you'll end up going down with the ship just like the rest of them." Murtagh was used to his father making threats, but there was something about this one that actually scared him.

"Speaking of your new friends I met your friend Eragon. A remarkable boy." Morzan finished off the last of his drink just as another one was placed in front of him. "He was with Brom." The name of his father's sworn enemy caused Murtagh to smile tightly.

"I thought you said he was dead."

"I thought he was." Morzan was a master at giving nothing away in his facial expressions, but the flash of anger in his eyes betrayed just how frustrated he was at the news that Brom was in fact alive. "But your friend, now he is very interesting."

"Leave him alone." Murtagh warned.

"Why on earth would you suspect I had any intention of harming him?!" Morzan pretended to look offended.

"Because I know you. Eragon is nothing to do with you, or Galbatorix or Empire so just leave him be."

"That's where you're wrong my dear boy." Morzan chuckled darkly sending a shiver down Murtagh's spine. "Now enough of business, let's just enjoy dinner."

* * *

When Morzan got to his office the next day he found resting on his desk a single sheet of paper, blank except for one thing.

9:15

Checking his watch Morzan cursed when he saw it was already ten past nine. Turning on his heel he marched out of the office. On his way to the lift he confronted Durza walking towards him.

"Come." He commanded not even looking in the pale skinned man's direction. Durza immediately fell in behind him.

Morzan checked his watch again as the lift rose quickly up the building, speeding towards the top floor.

"You'd better have some new information." He told Durza, who swallowed hard but managed to nod.

The lift doors opened revealing a grand lobby. Two ornate gold doors stood in front of them, guarded by two thick set bodyguards who watched them intently as they moved across the floor. Without saying a word one of the bodyguards opened one of the doors, no names were needed. Only people who had been summoned would dare set foot on the top floor.

Morzan squared his shoulders and taking a deep breath to calm himself down strode into the room, Durza right behind him.

The office they were in took up an entire floor of the building. Plush carpets and leather sofas gave a deceivingly homely and welcoming feel to the place. But there was nothing welcoming about what lay in this office, which had been nicknamed the Dragon's Den by those in the building.

In front of a large glass window that looked over the city skyline stood an ornately decorated desk, and sat behind this desk was Galbatorix.

Unlike Morzan Galbatorix looked like any other man. A receding hair line and a grey beard made him look more like someone's Granddad, but his eyes, intelligent and piercing marked him as a ruthless man.

As Morzan and Durza made their way across the office Galbatorix didn't look up from his computer, the pair stood in front of the deck in complete silence waiting for him to speak.

Galbatorix kept them waiting for a good few minutes before he finally closed his laptop and leant back in his chair.

"So" He said softly, watching them both. "What have you got for me?"

"Well, Durza here as you know sir has been gathering the information that you requested." Morzan said, praying that his voice was level and confident.

"And?"

"Umm, well, it's not been easy, but I've managed to get the records that you wanted." Durza placed a file on the desk in front of Galbatorix who picked it up and leafed through the papers inside.

"Good." He said, his face not showing any emotion. "And how are we sat on our insider?"

"There's been some progress but we have run into some unforeseen obstacles." Morzan started. "Nothing that we can't sort out very quickly." He hastened to add when Galbatorix arched one eyebrow.

"I should hope so." The CEO said. "You understand how important the information I have asked you to gather is?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Varden has been a thorn in my side for the last three decades, and now it is finally the right time to pull it out." Galbatorix stood up and came round the desk so that he was standing next to the two men.

"I want nothing to go wrong in the coming weeks. Varden are already suspicious and we don't want to arouse these suspicions further." He fixed both men with a hard stare. "Can I trust you both to do what is necessary?"

"You can sir." Both men muttered, nodding.

"Good. You can go."

Morzan and Durza both left the office as quickly as their dignity would let them, both heaving internal sighs of relief as soon as they were out the door.

Back in the office Galbatorix allowed a small smile as he moved away from his desk and towards the window. Clasping his hands behind his back Galbatorix looked out at the city, is smile widening slightly as his eyes sought out the towering structure of the Varden building in the distance.

He'd spent years preparing for this, and now finally the time had come.

* * *

**I know it's not as long as other chapters have been but I feel it sets up some important plot points, and I wanted to make sure I gave you all a chapter before I went back to uni and writing time became scarce. Hope you enjoyed it and as always let me know what you thought by leaving me a review!**

**Pirate-x-Girls**


	16. Chapter 15

**Hey guys, sorry for the wait on this one. Had the most hectic 5 months at uni and there was literally no time to write. I decided to celebrate passing my exams and starting summer by giving you guys a new chapter. Thanks to all the people who have been reviewing and the people who PM'd me asking when a new chapter would be up! Hope you all enjoy it! **

* * *

**Flashes**

**Chapter 15**

The pub was small and dingy, down a small secluded side street in a quiet part of town. Faded letters above the door proclaimed it to be named _The Cyclops._ Durza stood across the road, his lips pulled up in a sneer as he gave the outside of the pub the once over. Pulling back his sleeve he checked his watch. 2 minutes to 11, it was almost time.

At bang on 11 Durza moved across the road, pushing open the door he cast a disapproving glance around the inside of the pub. A few wooden tables with battered chairs offered a place to sit as well as some stools by the bar. A jukebox that had seen better days played a rock song softly and the place had a musty scent to it. Durza's eyes quickly honed in on two figures sat in a darkened corner of the pub. Starting towards them Durza reached the table in a few seconds and pulled out a chair. Sitting down he observed the two men opposite him.

It was immediate to tell that the two men were brothers. Looking in their early to mid twenties they were slim with jet black hair that was cut tight to their heads. Their eyes were dark brown, almost black. The most striking feature of the two brothers were the burn marks, almost a mirror image on their faces. Without speaking one of the men pushed a whiskey glass across the table towards Durza.

"You picked an...interesting choice of meeting place." Durza noted picking up the glass and giving it a cautious sniff.

"It's our local." The man who had given him the glass said, his voice carrying a distinct London twang.

"Charming." Durza took a sip of his drink and replaced the glass back on the table. "Now. The two of you know why you are here?" both of the men nodded. "Good. I'll make this quick then." Reaching into his jacket pocket Durza pulled out an envelope and tossed it onto the table in front of the two men.

"In there are the papers you need. The papers to get a job at Varden, both of you." He leant forward as the brothers took out the papers and gave them a cursory look. "Now once you're in it is vital that you keep a low profile and do not do _anything_ that will draw attention to yourselves. You look, you listen you stay out of sight and if you hear anything that may be useful you then you call me and arrange to meet. Do you understand?"

"Yes." The older of the two nodded pushing the papers back into the envelope. "Are you sure that they'll hire us?"

"Yes. You're going in right at the bottom. Filing and basic administration, they'll be no questions asked about your applications it's all been sorted."

"So it's true then? You have someone inside Varden?!" Durza didn't bother to reply, he just fixed the man with a hard stare.

"Just do what the papers tell you to do, and then call me when you're in." Standing up he drained the last of his glass. "I'll expect to hear from you by the end of Monday." Turing on his heel he walked away from the table and out of the pub.

The two brothers watched Durza leave before they turned to look each other. The older one raised his eyebrows, stretching the scarred skin on the right hand side of his face.

"Well little brother. It seems we have work to do."

They were the Ra'zac brothers. Their names were Lenny and Terry. Lenny, the elder of the two by 18 months was the planner, cunning and shrewd he handled all business. Terry was the muscle, quieter and bigger he was an often brooding presence in any room he was in. The brothers had been born on a London council estate to an alcoholic father and an unfaithful mother the two had learnt very quickly that they would need to take care of themselves.

When Lenny was 9 and Terry was 7 their council flat had caught fire when their father had come in drunk one night and fallen asleep with a lit cigarette in his hand igniting the living room. The brothers and their mother had survived but not unscathed, both Lenny and Terry had received burns to their faces and neck, Lenny to the right hand side of his face and Terry to the left. As a result of the fire the two were taken away from their mother and placed into care. From there they found themselves bouncing from one care home to another, each unable to look after the boys and their increasingly erratic behaviour.

Lenny and Terry soon realised that they would have to fend from themselves and as soon as Lenny had hit 18 he had taken his brother and run away from the care homes. Now looking after themselves they learnt how to co, fight and cheat, and more importantly how to use these skills to make money. This tactic worked very well for them and within a few years they had made enough money to escape the council estates they had been haunting and move away into more comfortable housing.

It was around this time that the brother's met Durza, they knew who he was, Durza's name was spoken nearly everywhere they went, often in admiration and more often than not in fear. The Ra'zac brothers had been eager to meet him as they had long wanted to advance their careers. Durza for this part had seen immediately when he had met the brothers that he would have a need for their unique skills. Taking the pair under his wing, he had spent the next eighteen months putting them to work. Teaching them how to play the system, get information and versing them well in the ways of the shady business underworld. The brothers proved to be naturals and Durza was soon becoming to rely on them for the most important jobs he was tasked with. Much like the recent job that Durza had been tasked with by Galbatorix. The infiltration of Varden. Durza had approached Lenny and Terry the day of his meeting with Morzan and Galbatorix, knowing immediately what needed to be done and who could do it. From there it had been a simple matter of deciding what kinds of jobs the two men could do which would allow them to move around Varden virtually unseen.

Durza opened the driver's door of his car and slid inside. Sitting for a moment he stared out of the window at the people who walked past the car and down the street. Pulling his phone out of his pocket he pressed a couple of buttons and raised the phone to his ear.

"It's me." He listened for a second. "Yes, it's done they'll be in by the end of Monday, is everything ready?...Right, call me when they're confirmed." Hanging up without saying goodbye Durza put his phone back in his pocket, leaning back in his seat Durza allowed himself a small sigh of relief. It was not often that Durza got nervous about a job, but whenever he found himself doing a personal job for Galbatorix he found himself feeling nervous and being unable to sleep until it was done. Now that the papers had been handed over and the Ra'zac brothers were on their way to Varden he could relax a little, he might not be sleeping anytime soon but he could relax a little.

* * *

Arya was jolted awake by her phone ringing; sleepily she flung her arm out and scrabbled around on her bedside table for her phone. Finally finding it she lifted her head and pressed the call button.

"Hello?"

"Are you still in bed?!" Angela's chirpy voice sounded over the other end of the phone.

"Yes. It's Saturday." Arya mumbled, rolling onto her back.

"The early bird catches the worm."

"This bird has been catching plenty of worms." Arya chuckled.

"Well, get your lovely arse out of bed and come and have lunch with me and Claire!"

"Do I have to?" Arya groaned.

"Yes. We haven't seen you in a couple of weeks and for some unknown reason we miss you."

"Fine." Arya grumbled. "When and where?"

Twenty minutes later Arya was in the shower. Closing her eyes she allowed the water to cascade down her face, soothing her tired muscles. This was her first Saturday off in weeks and she had planned on spending most if not the entire day in bed, but Angela and Claire had ruined these plans. Arya stayed in the shower a lot longer than she ordinarily would have, letting as much of the tension as she could drain from her body. When she finally stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel round herself she was feeling a lot more relaxed. Going through back to her room she was just in time to hear her phone buzz. Scooping it up off the bed she glanced at the screen, it was a message from Ajihad, asking if she could go into work the next day for a meeting. With a huff of frustration she fired back a quick reply she chucked her phone back on the bed.

An hour later and Arya was walking into a small pub where she had agreed to meet Claire and Angela. Once through the doors she cast her eyes around and spotted Angela immediately, the smaller woman was waving madly to get her attention. Stifling a smile Arya headed over to their table, as soon as she got there Angela jumped up and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Offttt." Arya grunted as the breath was driven from her lungs. Angela finally released her with a wide smile.

"It's so good to see you!"

"You too." Arya replied, trying to regain her breath. Claire's hug was gentler.

"How are you?" she asked when she pulled back.

"Stressed." Arya groaned, flopping down into an empty seat and taking the glass of wine that was offered to her with a grateful nod. "Work is so full on at the moment and I just found this morning that Ajihad wants me to go in tomorrow for a meeting. On a Sunday!"

"That sucks!" Angela pouted. "Does that mean that you can't get drunk tonight?"

"Yes, unfortunately." Arya replied.

"You look shattered." Claire observed a little while later when their food had arrived. "Have you been sleeping?"

"Not well." Arya admitted. "There doesn't seem to be much time for it, and I have a lot on my mind."

"Like what?" Claire pressed.

"You know, the usual. Work, my mother and some other things."

"What other things?" Angela asked immediately, looking up from her plate.

"Nothing that concerns you." Arya laughed, Angela shrugged and the conversation dropped as they all went back to their food.

Arya was glad that her friend was more interested in her lunch than what Arya was saying. In truth she hadn't meant to admit that there was more than just work and her mother, it had been a slip of the tongue. Arya did not like admitting, not even to herself that her mind was getting ever more distracted by thoughts of Eragon. They had not spoken properly in weeks, but Arya could tell every time he looked at her that he wanted to speak to her and try and sort things out. But Arya wasn't ready to have that conversation yet, because she wasn't sure what her feelings for Eragon were. She was fond of him, that much was sure, but she didn't know if these feelings stretched to Eragon as being more than a friend. She couldn't even say that she hadn't enjoyed his kisses because she had, they had set her blood on fire in ways that she had not felt for years, but it was the fact that she had enjoyed it and they had evoked such emotion scared her. She knew that she was being a coward by avoiding Eragon but she didn't know what she would say to him if they did talk. She didn't want to give him false hope that something would happen between the two of them, but at the same time she didn't want to hurt him by saying that there was no chance that anything would ever happen between them.

Arya was pulled from her thoughts of Eragon by Angela waving her hand in front of her face.

"Earth to Arya."

"Sorry, what?"

"Claire was asking if you had any plans next weekend?" Angela said. Arya thought for a moment, there was something vaguely familiar about the date for next weekend, but as she mentally scanned her diary she could not remember for the life of her what it was.

"Hang on, let me check." She replied, pulling her diary out of her handbag. Flipping through the pages she found the right date, and was met with a message written in Saphira's scrawling handwriting. "Sorry guys, I'm not free. I have a co-workers birthday."

"Who's?" Arya took a breath before she replied.

"Eragon's."

The reaction to her response was exactly what she had expected, at the mention of Eragon's name Claire and Angela both exchanged a look with each other before turning to smirk at Arya.

"Oh really?" Angela grinned. "And how is that going?"

"How is what going?"

"You and Eragon!"

"There is no me and Eragon!" Arya sighed.

"Has anything happened since that night in the club?" Claire asked.

"No." Arya replied, her mind flashing back to the kiss in the car park even as the word slipped out. "It was just that one night."

"You two looked so good together though." Angela whined.

"We did?"

"Yeah, you looked comfortable with him." Angela said, her face taking on a rare serious look. "I've not seen you look that comfortable around a man in a long time."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You weren't as guarded." Angela said taking a sip of her wine. "Look we can't even begin to imagine what you went through when you lost Fäolin and Claire and I are so in awe of how strong you've been."

"Well I..."

"And we know that you don't like talking about it, but if you ever do want to talk, both Claire and I are here for you."

"Thanks, it means a lot." Arya smiled at her friends, her voice sincere. She had never been able to tell them what had really happened in her relationship with Fäolin, just as she had not told anyone. There were so many times when she wished that she could have and should have told them, to have had someone to confide in. But Arya couldn't have told them then and she couldn't tell them now, she couldn't stand the thought of anyone giving her a pitying look, the look that she had been on the receiving end of ever since Fäolin had died. If people knew the truth she didn't want to imagine how people would react, most of all she didn't want people to know of her weakness, of her inability to stop what was happening to protect herself and fight him off. She knew that it was her pride that was her ultimate flaw and she had learned to live with it. Trying to push the dark thoughts from her mind Arya allowed her attention to drift back to the meal.

The three of them stayed in the pub for another couple of hours. As the conversation flowed Arya found herself relaxing and enjoying herself more than she had been able to in recent weeks. Angela and Claire didn't mention Eragon again, but she found them both watching her several times with identical smiles on their faces.

When they left the pub Arya gave both of them a hug, a rare show of affection.

"Thank you for a wonderful lunch." She said.

"You're very welcome." Claire replied, smiling warmly.

"And I'll call you about next week." Arya assured them.

"Please do." Angela grinned. "Don't let it be weeks before we see you again!"

"I won't." Arya laughed. Saying their goodbyes Angela and Claire went off one way to their cars and Arya set off in the other down a footpath that led towards her flat. It was an overcast day but Arya liked walking, allowing the fresh air to brush her face,

Upon getting home Arya checked her email, and the smile that had been on her face since she had left the pub disappeared immediately. Her email was full of things that she needed to do by Monday and that would more than likely take her the rest of the weekend. Arya sat back heavily in her chair, covering her face with her hands.

"I love my job! I love my job!" she chanted to stop herself screaming.

Arriving at the empty Varden building the next day Arya's mood had not improved, if anything it had gotten worse. She had been up most of the night working and when she had finally gone to bed her sleep had been light and fitful. To make matters worse it had started raining the moment she had stepped out of her front door. Walking through the deserted lobby Arya nodded curtly to the weekend security guard, who smiled friendly and waved back. He was used to see Arya at work at the weekend.

Ajihad was working with his office door open when Arya arrived. He looked up when she knocked lightly.

"Arya! Thanks for coming in on a Sunday. I know it's not ideal, but there's something important I need to talk to you about."

"It's ok, I would have probably ended up coming in today anyway." Arya brushed off his apology as she sat down opposite him and crossed her legs.

"Right, well what I have to talk to you about is very sensitive, which is why I wanted to talk to you on a Sunday."

"Ok." Arya said, starting to feel a little uneasy.

"I've spoken to Saphira about it briefly, and I'm sure she filled you in?"

"Yes." Saphira had told Arya all about what Ajihad had discussed with her in their meeting about how Ajihad had suspicions that there might be a mole inside Varden. It had worried both of them and Arya didn't like the look on Ajihad's face. "Have there been any developments?"

"Not concrete ones. Just more things that had led me to believe that there is definitely a mole inside Varden." Ajihad said gravely, he let out a sigh and leant back in his chair. "A few days ago, one of our contacts in the city was found dead." Whatever Arya had been expecting it certainly hadn't been that.

"How?" she asked, unable to keep the shock out of her voice.

"The details are a little vague, but we're treating it as suspicious. Even if the authorities." The look on Ajihad's face told her exactly what he thought of the authorities opinion. "They've told us nothing more than that it looks like suicide. But this contact had some information that we haven't been able to recover."

"I see." Arya said, trying to process what she was hearing. "And you think Galbatorix had something to do with it?"

"I'm pretty certain yes." Ajihad sighed again.

"So what are we going to do?"

"There is nothing I can do without proof. I've put some feelers out but until something comes back we just have to wait." He leant forward again and fixed Arya with a stare. "I just want you to be careful Arya."

"Careful?"

"Yes, this death. If it is indeed connected to Galbatorix and Empire, is then a sign that things are starting to escalate. You've had dealings with Empire and I would hate for you to become a target. I just want you to be on your guard and be careful is all."

"I will." Arya promised.

It was at that moment that Ajihad's phone buzzed. Picking it up off the desk he looked at the screen for a moment.

"Sorry Arya, I'm going to have to go. I know it wasn't a long meeting but I needed to tell you this."

"It's ok." Arya smiled as Ajihad stood up and straightened his tie. "I'll go and do some work in the office seeing as I'm here."

"Ok. But don't work for too long. It is a Sunday after all." He told her seriously picking up his briefcase.

"I won't." She smiled as they walked out of Ajihad's office.

* * *

Across town at Empire, Galbatorix too was working. The fact that it was a Sunday made no difference to him. As far as he was concerned it was just another day of work. He had no family to distract him so he would often be in the office for a large part of the day on a Sunday. He sat at his desk, methodically working through a stack of papers that had been left for him. At the bottom of the pile was a plain brown folder, unmarked. Picking it up Galbatorix opened the seal and pulled out the paper that it contained. His eyes scanned the report quickly; as he reached the end he gave a curt nod and placed it to one side.

A knock on his office door pierced the quiet.

"Come." He called out not looking up from his desk. The door opened and Morzan strode in. He marched swiftly across the room to the table and stood, his hands clasping a folder in front of him, waiting patiently for his employer to finish what he was doing.

Galbatorix finally looked up. "What do you have for me?"

"Latest reports coming in from Asia." Morzan said handing over the folder. Galbatorix flicked it open and gave it a cursory glance. "As you can see we're a little behind Varden."

"Yes." Galbatorix muttered, still scanning the paper. "Not the best news."

"No sir." Morzan replied.

"Did you read Durza's latest report?" Galbatorix asked after another couple of minutes silence.

"I did yes sir. He seems confident that the Ra'zac brothers will be successful in their infiltration of Varden."

"Yes, they do come very highly recommended. How are things progressing with our other source in Varden?"

"Very well sir." Morzan was relieved to have some concrete good news." We have regular reports coming from the source which have given us a lot of new information."

"Good." Galbatorix allowed a rare smile to twitch his lips. "Have the police been taken care of?"

"Yes, there wasn't much we needed to do. They ruled the death as a suicide and are not treating it as suspicious."

"And the information?"

"We have it. I'll have it ready for you by the end of today." Morzan clasped his hands behind his back. Galbatorix nodded and checked his watch.

"Well it seems that for once things are progressing almost to plan." He said. "How is your son?"

The abrupt change of conversation surprised Morzan and for a second he struggled to form a reply. "He's fine sir. I've not spoken to him for a week or so."

"He still works at Varden?"

"Yes, it seems that he could be offered a more permanent position there."

"Really? You should get him to come and see me sometime soon, I think we're long overdue a chat."

"I will do my best sir, but he has become very stubborn." Morzan admitted. Galbatorix gave a dry chuckle.

"Is that so? Well I'm sure you'll find a way to persuade him."

"Yes sir." Morzan not for the first time found himself cursing his son's stubborn nature internally.

"Is he still friends with that boy?"

"Eragon? Yes he is sir."

"Good, that will be useful."

"Begging your pardon sir, but why exactly is the boy of such interest to you?" Morzan ventured a rare question. Galbatorix leant back in his chair and laced his fingers together.

"He is important, and I must say he fascinates me. His relationship with Brom could be very useful to us." He replied. Morzan nodded, not even pretending to understand what his employer was getting at.

"And how is Miss Dröttningu?" Was Galbatorix's next question.

"Our reports give us nothing new." Morzan replied, wishing that he had more to report.

"Not surprising, she has always been a secretive one. She would have been a valuable addition to our company. If only you had managed to recruit her when you had the chance." Galbatorix raised an eyebrow at his second in command, causing Murtagh to shift nervously on his feet.

Around the time that Arya had joined Varden they had not been the only company who had had their eye on her. Galbatorix had instructed Morzan to try and hire her, _before _Varden did. So Morzan had done what he usually did when faced with that kind of situation. He had worked for weeks to try and get her to consider a position at Empire, and a highly paid position at that, but Arya had been strangely resilient to his charms and offers, politely declining and instead taking the position at Varden.

"Yes she would have been." He admitted.

"Don't worry, she will end up wishing she had taken up our generous offer." Galbatorix smiled. Morzan nodded, again not knowing quite what to say or do. Despite having worked with Galbatorix for over three decades there was still so much about the CEO of Empire that he didn't know, and there was a lot of stuff that he didn't want to know.

"Is there anything else you need me for?" Morzan asked. Galbatorix had already turned his attention back to the papers on his desk.

"No. You can go." Morzan turned and made his way out of the office, leaving the CEO to his paperwork.

* * *

Monday morning dawned overcast with dark clouds threatening more rain. The city was slow and sluggish to wake with traffic clogging the roads.

Arya huffed in frustration and tapped her fingers impatiently against her steering wheel. A rumble of thunder above her made her crane her head upwards to look out of the windshield. Seconds later rain began to fall from the sky and pound against the car.

"Well, that's just great." She muttered to herself. "Just great." She was already late for work and the rain was not a welcome addition. Yawning loudly she continued to tap her hands against the steering wheel, willing the cars in front of her to move. She had sat in her office after her meeting with Ajihad to try and get some work done but had spent most of the time staring into space thinking about what he had told her.

Arya had always known that Empire was bad news, it was precisely the reason that she had turned a job down with them when Morzan had come sniffing around. Fäolin had urged her to go for the job when it had first been offered, but Arya had always had her reservations. So she had done some research, and what she found out only strengthened her resolve not to join the company, no matter how much money they were offering her. Morzan had not given up though, he had pestered for weeks, starting off charming but as time went on and she kept turning him down his true colours started showing through the charm.

The news that now someone had died and it could possibly be linked to Empire sent chills down Arya's spine whenever she thought about it. She knew that Galbatorix did not forget those who had defied him, and her refusal to join his company was defiance of the highest order. It came as no surprise then that Ajihad had warned her to be careful, he knew all about Empire's attempt to hire her, and was well aware that her turning them down was likely to have repercussions now that Empire seemed to have fixed its attention on Varden.

Eventually the traffic started moving forward and Arya was able to move, pulling her away from the bleak thoughts. The rain had not lessened but she finally found a clear bit of road and was able to make it to Varden within 5 minutes. Pulling sharply into her parking space Arya jumped out of the car and hurried through reception and up to her office.

If she had been paying more attention, like she usually did she would have noticed the two men who followed her up from the ground floor all the way up to her office. She would have noticed the similarity in their faces and the burn marks that marred their faces and necks. But for once Arya was not paying attention to her surroundings, focusing entirely on getting to her office.

The Ra'zac brothers for their part had not expected it to be so easy for them to get jobs at Varden, even though the papers had been simple and concise in their instructions they had expected a little more resistance. But it seemed that whoever Empire had inside Varden appeared to have done their job well, because all it took was one quick interview with a man who had clearly been paid to look the other way and then a quick induction which had lasted less than 10 minutes and then they had been put to work.

Their main job appeared to be running files and errands from one ending of the building to the other. This job was perfect for them because it often meant that they could just about anywhere in the building, without being questioned too closely about why they were there.

Lenny upon seeing Arya enter the building had turned and nudged his brother.

"There's one." He muttered. The instructions the brothers had been given included a list of people that they should keep a close eye on, Arya was high on the list. "Come on." Lenny nudged his brother again and the brothers began to follow the young woman. She led them up to one of the more remote parts of the building where there were less people and it became more difficult to blend in without becoming noticed.

"Hang back." Lenny said as they entered an almost deserted corridor laying a hand on his brother's arm. Arya had disappeared into an office at the end of the corridor; Lenny made a mental note of where it was and turned around. "Come on, we'll check on this later. We need to find out where the others are." Lenny had contacted Durza the day before they were due to go into Varden and asked if they would have any interaction with the contact inside Varden. Durza had once again been vague with his response, saying that they would be told things when they needed to know them. Lenny had taken the hint and dropped that line of questioning very quickly.

"So what do we do now?" Terry asked at lunch. The two of them were sat in a table in the corner of the canteen, away from everyone else so that they could talk without the risk of being overheard.

"We wait." Lenny replied taking a bite of his sandwich. "We do what we're told, lay low, listen, watch and hope that we see something useful."

"How long do you think we'll be here?"

"I have no idea." Lenny shrugged. "As long as it takes I guess." He went back to his food and left his younger brother brooding.

Eragon had noticed the two brothers as he got his lunch, but he didn't pay them much attention. There were often new faces around Varden and many would disappear after a couple of days. His attention was more focused on Saphira next to him who was excitedly chattering about the gathering they were having after work.

"...meeting Emily at 8."

"I know we are Saphira. I was the one who organised it remember? Did you speak to Nasuada and Orik about it?"

"Yes, Nasuada can come but Orik is heading out of the city tonight." Saphira replied. "God I can't remember the last time I had a drink." She said wistfully staring into space. Eragon laughed and shook her shoulder, pulling her out of her daydream.

"Just try and get through the rest of the day." He grinned. Saphira stuck her tongue out at him before returning to her food.

Arya joined them a few minutes later.

"God you look awful!" Saphira said as her partner sank down into a seat opposite her.

"I didn't get much sleep this weekend." Arya replied rubbing her face and yawning loudly.

"I know what you need." Saphira announced. Arya looked up warily.

"What?"

"A relaxing evening of drinks. We're going out tonight and you're coming with us."

"I'm not sure I'm up to it Saphira." Arya said.

"Yes you are, come on you need to unwind a bit you've been working flat out without a proper break. I'll bet you were in work yesterday weren't you?" she fixed Arya with a serious look.

"Yes." Arya muttered, not avoiding Saphira's eyes.

"Right, then it's settled you're coming out tonight." Saphira smiled and shovelled another mouthful of food into her mouth. Arya cast a helpless glance at Eragon, her eyes almost pleading with him to help her. He laughed and shrugged.

"There's nothing I can do!" he said putting his hands up. Arya shook her head.

"Fine. I'll come." She relented.

* * *

The end of the day could not have come any quicker for Eragon, they were entering the last week of the merger, by the end of the week everything would be completed and things would get a lot less hectic. But until that time it was perhaps their busiest week, Saphira spent most of her time on the phone and trying to juggle massive stacks of paperwork, Eragon spent a lot of time running around the building, mostly between Saphira and Arya's offices to give certain files and carry messages. With all the chaos that was happening in the office the tension between him and Arya seemed to have dissipated slightly.

"I think we're done here." Arya sighed happily closing her last folder and chucking her pen onto the desk.

"Oh thank god!" Eragon groaned rubbing his eyes and yawning loudly. "I thought today would never end."

"Welcome to the world of work." Arya chuckled, standing up and cracking her neck. Eragon winced at the noise. "Sorry." Arya apologised with a sheepish grin, seeing the look on his face. She checked her watch, and started counting down from 10.

"What are you doing?" Eragon asked, Arya just held up one finger.

"3, 2, 1." As she reached 1 she pointed at the door, just as it opened and Saphira stood in the doorway, a wide grin on her face.

"Let's go. Now." She said excitedly. Eragon laughed loudly and grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair and followed Saphira out of the office, Arya right behind him.

The pub was surprisingly crowded for a Monday evening, but the four of them eventually found a table in a corner of the pub. Saphira placed the first round of drinks on the table and collapsed into a chair.

"Only 4 days left." She held up her bottle of beer in a toast. Arya, Eragon and Nasuada clinked their bottles against hers in agreement.

"Is there all that much left to do?" Nasuada asked taking a sip of her drink.

"Tying up loose ends and making sure everything is in place for when it all goes official at the beginning of next week." Saphira replied, "But there's a LOT of loose ends to tie up."

"Well you've all done such a good job and I know that my father is really impressed with how smoothly it's all gone." Nasuada smiled. Eragon nodded his agreement, but saw a look pass between Arya and Saphira. As quickly as it was there it had vanished but Eragon was sure that something had happened, and it made him feel uneasy.

He was just about to open his mouth to ask Saphira about it when a voice stopped him.

"Hi guys." Looking up he saw Emily standing next to the table, watching everyone with a smile.

"Emily, it's good to see you!" Saphira was on her feet immediately and hugging the younger woman. Emily looked a little surprised, it was obvious that she still wasn't used to Saphira's sudden outburst of affection.

"It's good to see you too Saphira." She said; a little breathlessly as Saphira released her and Eragon stepped up to give her a hug. "Nasuada, Arya." She gave the other women at the table a warm smile before settling down in table.

"You want a drink?" Eragon asked. Emily nodded.

"God yes, I've had the day from hell!" Eragon laughed and headed off towards the bar.

After he left an awkward silence descended on the table. Arya hadn't realised that Emily would be coming, but she should have guessed and cursed herself for not realising earlier that this would happen. She found herself sitting opposite Emily, on the end of one of her warm smiles.

"So how have you been Arya?" Emily asked as Saphira and Nasuada engaged in their own conversation.

"Busy." Arya replied. "Had a lot to do. And you?" she added on almost as an afterthought.

"The same, got some pretty big exams coming up in a few weeks so been trying to cram for those." Emily smiled, seemingly oblivious to Arya's curt tone.

She was saved from further conversation by the return of Eragon. He placed a beer in front of her and sat down next to her.

"What's this I hear about exams?" he said.

"Uggghhhh, I have several exams in a few weeks and I'm nowhere near ready to take them." Emily complained. Eragon gave her a nudge with her shoulder.

"You're a brain box you'll be fine, and if you don't I'm sure you could always get a waitressing job." He teased. Emily opened her mouth in mock shock and slapped his arm.

"You're such a cheeky bastard!" she laughed. Arya watched the two of them a little enviously. What it must be like to be able to be that open and trusting around a man. The stabs of jealousy that she felt as well were a surprise, but she had almost been expecting them. a part of her brain was urging her to get involved in the conversation, then the jealousy would stop if she got Eragon's attentions. But the prideful brain sniffed and turned away from engaging in such petty competition with Emily to get Eragon's attention.

Eventually the prideful part of Arya's mind won out and she ended up sat in silence drinking from her beer. She knew full well that her own pride was her flaw and that if she just allowed herself to relax and loosen up a bit then she wouldn't end up feeling like this.

"Arya are you ok?" Arya looked up at the sound of Saphira's voice.

"Yeah I'm fine, just thinking about something at work."

"Well don't! That's why we're, to not think about work!" Saphira laughed and drained her drink. Arya couldn't help the smile that stretched her face and followed suit.

"Anyone for another drink?"

* * *

Eragon stood by the bar and sipped at his drink. For what must have been the hundredth time that night he allowed his eyes to focus on Arya. He couldn't deny that she looked actually gorgeous, even though she looked exhausted. Her smiles were tired and didn't reach her eyes, when she laughed it lacked enthusiasm and when she thought no one was looking she allowed her face to drop.

Things had not been easy between the two of them, ever since the kiss in the car park the two of the atmosphere between them had been frosty at best. But it had begun to get better, as their interactions earlier on in the day had shown.

He was pulled from his musing by Emily leaning against the bar next to him. "Where are you?" she smiled.

"Nowhere," Eragon said quickly drawing his gaze away from Arya and to Emily next to him. She followed where his eyes had been and shook her head.

"When are you just going to admit it?" she said. Eragon took a hurried sip of his pint.

"Admit what?"

"I'm not doing this again with you." Emily said crossing her arms against her chest.

"Then don't." Eragon said, a little harsher than he intended. Seeing the shock on Emily's face he back pedalled. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have said it like that." He smiled sheepishly at them.

"It's ok." Emily replied arching an eyebrow. "If you want to tell yourself that something isn't there then that's fine, but at the end of the day the person who'll come out worse will be you." Picking her drink off the bar she patted him on the arm and then moved away to go and talk to Saphira.

Emily's words stayed with Eragon for the rest of the evening and well into the next morning as he sat looking through a presentation that had been sent for Saphira. He had never considered that he was hiding from his own feelings; he had always reserved that judgement for Arya. But when Emily had pointed it out it had got him thinking, was he hiding from his feelings. By not telling Saphira or even admitting to anyone how he felt about Arya was he not being honest with himself? The truth of those questions was not something that Eragon wanted to face up to.

Luckily the day picked up and got busier so Eragon was able to push Emily's words from his head and concentrate wholly on the work that was being put in front of him. There were reports from all the areas of Varden that were involved in the merger that needed to be proof read and noted before they could be passed onto Saphira. Eragon had also started looking through invoice reports and making sure that everything was present and correct. It was hard work but Eragon enjoyed that he was getting more responsibility.

Saphira appeared out of her office at about lunch time, she had been on the phone most of the morning shouting at someone down in the filing room because they had sent up the wrong papers two days in a row.

"I swear, they just seem to hire anyone down there!" she huffed coming to stand next to Eragon's desk. "It was like talking to a monkey for the past few hours."

As Saphira continued ranting about the 'monkeys who ran the basement' the lift door pinged open and a man emerged, his hands full of papers. He approached the desk and carefully laid three files down in front of Eragon.

"Thank you." Eragon said, looking up at the man he started slightly. The man had a large burn mark running down the right hand side of his face and almost black eyes.

"You're welcome." The man replied, his gaze flitting to Saphira. There was something about the way the man was looking at the two of them that made Eragon feel uneasy. It was like he knew something about them that they didn't. Turning away from the table the man headed back to lift. Eragon looked to Saphira as the lift door closed, it seemed that she had not noticed anything that had just happened and was still ranting away, mostly to herself it seemed now.

"Oh by the way, we're good to go and see your Uncle after next week. I've spoken to Ajihad and he's agreed to give us a couple of weeks off."

"Really? That's great!" Eragon grinned, he had been feeling more and more homesick in the last couple of weeks and the prospect of seeing Garrow and being back on the farm for a while gave him something to look forward to.

"Yeah." Saphira paused for a moment. "I was thinking that we could invite Nasuada to come with us, and Arya." Eragon looked up at the mention of Arya's name.

"I don't see why not." He replied, in actual fact he had been looking forward to getting away from Arya for a bit, but he couldn't say that to Saphira without having to explain why he wanted to get away from her.

"I know it's a sudden ask, but she's been working so hard that I think some time away from the city would do her good, would do us all good."

"Yeah I understand, I think it's a good idea." Eragon smiled, causing Saphira to smile back in relief.

"Thanks Eragon." The phone in her office started to ring and she sighed. "Well I'd better get back to work then." Turning she hurried back into her office, shutting the door behind her.

* * *

**Well I hope you all enjoyed that and please leave me a review letting me know what you thought. Can't promise when there'll be another chapter but I hope to start writing it in the next couple of days. **

**Pirate-x-Girls **


	17. Chapter 16

**Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter for you. This has been one of my favourite to write and the I'm very much looking forward to writing the ones that come after it. I hope you all enjoy it!**

* * *

**Flashes**

**Chapter 16**

"Saphira...I don't think..." Arya closed her mouth and frowned as Saphira shook her head.

"No, I'm not taking any of your excuses this time." She grinned. Arya's frown intensified and she crossed her arms across her chest. "Ok, ok. I'll tell you what, if you can give me one good reason why you shouldn't then I'll let you off the hook."

"Well I mean there's...well I have to..." after a few seconds of racking her brain and fumbling for a reason Arya found that she couldn't think of one. "Oh fine you win!" she grumbled throwing her hands up in exasperation. "I'll come."

"Good." Saphira nodded and turned her attention back to her work.

"How long would we be gone for?" Arya asked a couple of minutes later.

"A week, maybe longer." Saphira replied, tapping at her keyboard.

"I don't know if I could be away from..."

"Don't even go there." Saphira warned. "We've been given the time off, and I'm going to make damn sure that we use it!" Arya scowled at her friend. Saphira was one of the only people in her life who she would allow to talk to her like that. Had it been anyone else and they wouldn't have even gotten past the first warning. "Besides, when was the last time you took a holiday? I don't think you've had one since I've been at Varden."

"I've never had all that much time." Arya muttered, hating that Saphira was right.

"Well now you do, so stop moping and smile. By the end of the week we'll be done work free!" Saphira had a point, the merger was in its final stages and within the next couple of days they would be all finished. Arya had been counting down the days eagerly, wanting nothing more than to be done with it and have a chance to relax.

"I need your help with something else this weekend." Saphira said a little while later.

"What?" Arya replied without looking up from her work.

"Well you know its Eragon's birthday?"

"Yes, I got the note you left in my diary." Arya shot her friend a smile. "What do you need my help with?"

"Well I'm organising a surprise dinner for him and well I need your help to keep him out of the flat." Arya stopped writing and looked up surprised.

"Why do I have to do it?" she whined. Saphira raised an eyebrow.

"Because if I try and keep him away from the flat then he'll know that something was up."

"And he won't if I do it?"

"No." Was Saphira's simple answer. Arya considered arguing but knew it would be useless. So she settled for frowning and muttering under her breath. She was not looking forward to being alone with Eragon.

"So how do you propose I keep Eragon away from the flat without him suspecting anything?" was her next question.

"Ahh I have a plan." Saphira grinned. "On Saturday we'll say that we're going for birthday drinks. You two will get there first, I'll call and say I'm held up and then you'll bring Eragon back to the flat and we'll surprise him."

"Oh." Arya was surprised at the logic of the plan. "I guess it's a good idea."

"See, not just a pretty face." Saphira grinned. Arya hid a smile as she returned to her work.

* * *

Brom waited patiently in the lift as it ascended up the floors. The glass windows gave him a good view of the building as he slid smoothly past the windows and offices. Taking a look down he could see people scurrying around the lobby, getting smaller and smaller by the second. The only sound was that of the machinery powering the lift and soft music that filtered through a speaker set into the ceiling. Brom checked his watch before clasping his hands in front of him.

The lift arrived at the top floor and the door slid smoothly open. Brom stepped out onto a richly carpeted floor and moved across a spacious waiting area. The receptionist at the desk looked up and smiled when she saw him.

"Mr Holcomb, it's good to see you again. Please do go in he's expecting you." Brom nodded his head and crossed the room to a pair of ornate doors that were guarded by two security men. One of the men let Brom into the office with a curt nod.

The office that Brom stepped into was light and spacious and about half the size of the lobby room outside. A plain wooden desk was set up in the middle of the room, and behind it sat a man. A thick beard covered his face, and he had thick set features. As soon as Brom entered the room he looked up and warm smile stretched his mouth.

"Brom." He boomed, his voice echoing round the room. "Good to see you again, after so long!" He stood up from behind the desk and came round to shake Brom's hand, revealing that he stood at just over five feet tall. Brom smiled back and clasped the man's hand in a firm handshake.

"You too Hrothgar, my apologies for the lack of contact, I've been abroad."

"Yes so I heard," the smaller man gestured to a seat before moving back around his desk. "I also heard horrible rumours that you'd died, someone had caught up with you in China."

Brom chuckled. "I know there are plenty of people who would want that rumour to be true." He spread his hands out. "But it takes more than rumours to kill me." Hrothgar laughed.

"That is true my old friend. And it seems you have come back just in time to see this merger complete." He leant forward. "I will admit that had Ajihad and the Varden board not agreed to this merger, then we would have been finished." His face took a serious look.

"I know." Brom crossed his legs and clasped his hands together. Hrothgar turned away as his computer pinged.

"Excuse me for a second." Brom nodded and looked around the office as Hrothgar tapped away at his keyboard. "Sorry about that, last minute details that need sorting out." He turned to Brom with a smile. "So, how is my nephew getting on?"

"Nephew?" Brom asked. "Oh Orik?"

"Yes." Hrothgar nodded. "He's been looking for more responsibilities recently and I thought this would be a good opportunity to prove himself."

"Well he's been doing very well, from what I've seen he's proved himself most admirably." Although Hrothgar gave no change in his expression Brom could see he had relaxed slightly. "You were worried he would not?"

Hrothgar hesitated. "I'll admit I had my concerns about giving him such a vital role in the merger. He has a tendency to be very impulsive and a little rash, I'm hoping that this job will have taught him some patience."

"I can say from what I have seen of him that it has." Brom assured his friend. "He has integrated himself well in the company and gets on very well with everyone, particularly Eragon, from what I've heard from Ajihad he's dealt with everything that has been thrown at him."

"Eragon, I've heard his name a few times during this." Hrothgar said.

"Yes, he's come into his own since starting at Varden, nothing like the boy I watched growing up. He and Orik work well together."

"I'm glad to hear it." Hrothgar smiled, visibly more relaxed. "How have you been anyway, I know you're not all that fond of being trapped in an office?"

"I'll admit it's been a tough adjustment. I've spent that last few years out in the country away from suits and meetings." Brom smiled. "But it's good to be back."

"Will you stay?" Hrothgar asked.

Brom thought for a moment. "I had originally planned for this to be a flying visit, a few weeks here and then off again." He paused and a look that Hrothgar couldn't identify passed over his face. "But since being back I have come to realise that there is some things I should stay for. So yes I'll be here for a while to come."

"What made you change your mind?"

"My regrets."

* * *

Eragon had been so busy at work that he had had little time to think about his birthday. It seemed to have crept up on him and before he knew it what was happening it was Friday. The end of the merger and the day before his birthday.

The atmosphere in the office was buzzing with excitement, everyone who had worked on the merger was looking forward to a holiday and everyone who hadn't worked on it was happy to have those who had out of the office for a while. Sloan being the only exception, he had been strangely quiet since his last argument with Saphira and Arya.

Eragon stepped out from the lift and tried to juggle the stack of files as he staggered over to his desk. Dropping them down on a huff he took a moment to get his breath back. His phone chimed in his pocket as he sank down into his chair, opening the text he had been sent from Emily he smiled.

_Got any birthday plans? Xx_

Eragon had not thought about how he would spend his birthday, what with the final preparations for the merger happening he had not made any plans to do anything. He fired back a text and chucked his phone back down on the desk before looking at the pile of work he had to finish.

"Cannot wait for today to be over." He muttered to himself.

Saphira came up to the office a few minutes later, clutching a pile of files that matched Eragon's.

"Bring on the end of the day!" she muttered, matching his sentiments from a few moments before. Running a hand through her short hair she sighed heavily. "Are you ok to deal with these?" she gestured to the files on his desk.

"Sure thing," Eragon smiled. "Last day of this for a couple of weeks." Saphira nodded.

"Thank god for that. And just in time for your birthday!" she leant against the edge of his desk. "I was going to talk to you about that anyway, was thinking we could celebrate with a few drinks tomorrow night."

"Yeah sounds great." Eragon said a little hesitantly, if he had been honest with himself he would have been expecting a little something more than a few drinks. But it was a better idea then how we would have spent his birthday back at the farm and he couldn't expect Saphira to have planned anything big what with all the stress she was under.

It turned out to be one of the longest days Eragon had ever had at Varden, time seemed to tick by slower than ever, every second seemingly taking an eternity. Eragon worked methodically through the files on his desk, checking and double checking that everything was right in the final reports that would be sent off to Ajihad and Hrothgar at the end of the day. All that would be left for them to do would be to sign off on them and finalise details between themselves and by Monday the merger would be complete.

Saphira spent most of her day running round the office, attending last minute meetings and making sure that everything was in order. There were of course people who could have done this for her, but she insisted on doing it herself, not trusting them to do it how she wanted it done. Eragon for his part spent a lot of time in his desk, working his way through the stack of files on his desk. People were coming and going all throughout the day, dropping things off and picking things up. The most frequent visitor was Arya. She bustled in and out of the office at least three or four times an hour, and each time she looked more stressed than Eragon had ever seen her.

"Where's Saphira?" she asked briskly just after lunch. Eragon looked up from his desk.

"Is she not in her office?"

"No, hence why I am asking." Arya snapped back. Eragon was a little taken aback and it must have shown on his face because Arya's expression softened. "Sorry I've just got so much to do and not much time to do it in."

"It's fine." Eragon said, smiling to show there were no hard feelings. Arya ran a hand through her hair, which she had left down and sighed heavily.

"I cannot wait for this to be over." She said. Eragon nodded.

"I think time off will do everyone good." He said, "I hear you're coming with us to the farm next week." He carried on carefully. Arya turned her eyes on him and she smiled.

"Yes, Saphira convinced me that the fresh air and change of scenery would do me good."

"It will." Eragon said, "Nothing like some fresh country air to relieve stress."

"And it'll be a chance to watch you do some real work." Arya smirked arching an eyebrow. Eragon was speechless for a second; more for the fact that Arya was recalling a conversation they had had some months ago. He of course remembered every detail of that night, but had not expected her to have ever given it a second thought.

"Maybe you could even try some." He said, feeling rather bold.

"Maybe I will." Arya said over her shoulder as she headed for the lift.

* * *

Eragon closed the last file and looked up at Saphira who was standing in the doorway of her office. Without a word he handed the file to her, she took it almost gingerly as if she couldn't quite believe it. From across the room Arya watched them, arms crossed and the smallest of smiles on her face.

"Well," Saphira said after a few moments of flicking through the file. "I think we can say that our role in this merger has _finally_ come to an end!" at her words Eragon couldn't stop a wide grin from splitting across his face.

"Well thank fuck for that!" Arya spoke up displaying a rare burst of profanity. "Now please can we send it off to Ajihad before something happens?!"

"I'll do it myself." Saphira laughed tucking the file under her arm she headed for the lift, pulling her phone out of her pocket as she did so. The lift doors closed with a soft ping leaving Eragon and Arya alone together. Eragon expected her to leave but was surprised when she pushed herself off the wall and pulled up a chair on the other side of his desk.

"Looking forward to your birthday tomorrow?" She asked it was unusual for her to start a conversation that wasn't work related, especially in the last few weeks; even more unusual was that she sounded like she was actually interested in the answer.

Eragon shrugged. "I've not had all that much time to think about it." He replied truthfully. "It's the first birthday I've ever spent away from home but it'll be nice to spend it with Saphira and you guys."

"Saphira is very excited about the whole thing; anyone would think it was her birthday."

"Now that does not surprise me at all." Eragon chuckled. "Are you coming to the drinks tomorrow night?"

"Yes I will." Arya smiled. "In fact..." she pulled herself up short before she ended up giving away the surprise dinner.

"In fact what?"

"Nothing." Arya replied quickly. "I'm thinking about something else." she was not used to keeping surprises and mentally berated herself for almost giving it away.

"Oh ok." Eragon's phone buzzed before he could say anything else and he picked it up off the table. Whatever was in the message obviously amused him as he chuckled softly shaking his head and composed a reply. Arya guessed that it was Emily and felt a familiar stab of jealousy in the pit of her stomach. She brushed it aside and waited for him to finish.

"Sorry about that." He said finally replacing the phone on the desk.

"It's ok." Arya replied, realising too late that her tone was a little clipped. "Anyway, I'd better go. Still got some phone calls to make." She was lying but knowing that Eragon was texting Emily was enough to make her want to leave, preferably with her dignity intact. Standing she nodded to him and left quickly.

"Oh ok." Eragon was a little shocked at her surprise exit, over the last week he had found being in Arya's presence had been getting easier and they were even being friendly. Just that day they had managed two conversations about something other than work. He watched her leave, a perplexed look on his face.

Saphira hurried along the corridor to Ajihad's office, the file clutched in her hands like a newborn baby. Ajihad's security guard saw her coming and gave her the once over before nodding to allow her through without her barely having to break her stride.

Ajihad looked up from his desk as Saphira walked in. "Saphira! Now, is that the illusive last file? The final piece of the puzzle?" he joked. But Saphira could see that the joke and smile did not reach his eyes. The CEO of Varden looked exhausted; the last few weeks had clearly taken their toll on him.

"Yes sir." Saphira replied, placing the file in front of him. Ajihad picked it up and gave it a cursory glance.

"Good, you can take a well earned rest now." He smiled. "But whilst you're here I should give you an update on the dead man.

"Yes." Saphira sank down into a chair. When Arya had told her what had happened she had barely been able to believe it. "What news has there been?"

"Not much I'm afraid. Just whisperings that galbatorix and Empire were indeed behind it."

"Not official whisperings I presume?"

"No." Ajihad sighed.

"Do we at least know how he died? The last we knew the police hadn't released any other information other than it was a suicide."

"It appears." Ajihad said, "That our man died after he jumped off of a building. But he could just as easily have been pushed." Saphira could see the flash of anger in Ajihad's eyes and knew that the death of a man he had never known but had been in his employ had hit him hard and angered him. She knew that he would not rest until he had gotten to the bottom of what had happened.

"We don't know much else at this point." Ajihad carried on. "I just though you should be kept informed."

"Thank you." Saphira said. The dark look passed from Ajihad's face and he fixed her with a warm smile.

"But for now do not let this trouble you. Go and enjoy your holiday, I understand you are to go back to Eragon's farm for a while."

"Yes." Saphira smiled. "Get out of the city."

"I envy you. You're to take Nasuada with you?"

"Yes, she was most enthusiastic about it."

"Good. It will do her good to get away; stuck with me can't be fun."

"Will you take any time off?" Saphira asked, already knowing the answer.

"I may take a couple of days next week, but with things as they are here it's probably best that I am around."

"Don't work yourself too hard!" Saphira said, echoing a phrase that Ajihad had said to her and Arya all too often.

"When do I ever." Ajihad replied with a tired smile.

Saphira arrived back to her office to find Eragon sat behind his desk, staring aimlessly into space.

"You ok?" she asked, snapping him out of his trance.

"What? Sorry was just thinking. Not quite sure what to do with myself."

Saphira grinned. "For the next couple of weeks. Nothing." She looked around. "Now let's get out of here before we're roped into doing something." She didn't need to tell him twice, standing he grabbed his jacket and bag before following Saphira out of the office.

As Saphira and Eragon pulled out of the car park they didn't notice the small battered car that followed them. Inside the car Terry kept his eyes on the Saphira's car occasionally making comments to Lenny who was navigating the rush hour traffic.

"How long do we have to follow them?" the younger Ra'zac asked.

"Till they stop." His brother grunted in reply, not taking his eyes off of the road. Terry didn't fail to notice the annoyance in his brother's tone and lapsed into silence.

The brothers followed Saphira and Eragon until they pulled up outside their block of flats. From a safe distance away they watched as the pair walked into the lobby and over to the lifts which luckily for them were in sight of the main doors. Using a pair of binoculars Lenny made a note of which button Saphira pressed, as the lift doors closed he replaced the binoculars in the glove compartment and gunned the engine.

"Let's go." The black car pulled away from the kerb and was quickly swallowed up by the gathering dusk.

* * *

Eragon awoke the next morning to the scent of bacon, sitting up he inhaled deeply savouring the smell before throwing back the covers and heading to the kitchen. Saphira was sliding bacon from a frying pan onto a plate as he appeared. Turning she gave him a wide grin.

"Happy birthday little one!" she swooped down on him, pressing a kiss to his cheek and a plate into his hand. "Go and sit down and I'll bring your present through." Before he could say anything he found himself being pushed in the direction of the living room. Sitting down on the sofa he nibbled at a bit of bacon, Saphira reappeared a moment later with a wrapped box in her hand, handing it to him she perched on the edge of the sofa next to him.

"Well go on, open it!" she said excitedly. Eragon pulled at the wrapping paper, unveiling a leather box; slowly he opened the lid to reveal a beautiful silver watch.

"Oh my god! Saphira its beautiful!" he breathed pulling her into a fierce hug. "Thank you."

"You're welcome!" she squeezed him back. "Now finish your breakfast and go and go and get dressed, we're going out!"

The day was fast shaping up to be the best birthday that Eragon had ever had. Growing up on the farm he had had some wonderful birthdays but there had always been a feeling every year, his mother had abandoned him on his birthday and as much as Garrow tried to make the day special for his nephew they could never quite shake the sadness of the day.

Here in the city with Saphira Eragon barely had time to think about his mother as he was dragged around town for birthday surprise after birthday surprise. She took him shopping, which he knew was probably more for her benefit than his. Then she took him to a fancy restaurant that he had heard of but never thought he would ever go to. She insisted on paying for the meal and everything else, despite his best efforts to chip in.

"God I'm stuffed, that was amazing!" Eragon sighed happily, leaning back in his chair and patted his full stomach.

"You're welcome; just don't come to expect it. It's a once a year kind of deal." Saphira smirked. Checking her watch she signalled for the bill. "We're meeting Arya for drinks in half an hour, come on let's go."

Arya stood outside the bar, hands shoved deep into her pockets. She still wasn't sure that she would be able to spend so long alone with Eragon, but she would have to give it a go. Checking her watch she shook her head fiercely.

"Get a grip." She growled to herself. "It's just drinks."

It was at that moment that Eragon and Saphira appeared. Saphira waved and when Eragon wasn't looking gave Arya a very unsubtle wink, Arya rolled her eyes and waved back.

"Happy birthday Eragon." She said as warmly as she could.

"Thank you." Eragon muttered, the tips of his ears going red with embarrassment. Saphira gave Arya another unsubtle sign, a nod this time. Repressing a sigh Arya tightened her grip around her phone in her pocket, subtly pressing the call button.

Seconds later Saphira's phone began to ring loudly. Turning away she answered and made a show of talking urgently into the mouthpiece. Arya could hear her voice vibrating against her hand in her pocket.

"I'm really sorry Eragon but something's come up. I'm going to have to nip into the office. Will you be ok with Arya for a while?"

"Yeah sure." Eragon smiled but Arya could see the disappointment in his eyes. "I'll see you later."

"I really am sorry." Saphira said, putting on a good show of looking remorseful. Eragon turned around, with one last conspiratorial wink to Arya Saphira walked away leaving the two alone.

"Shall we go in?" Arya asked somewhat awkwardly. Eragon nodded and without saying anything followed her into the bar.

Arya insisted on paying for the first round of drinks, despite Eragon's protest. Handing his pint over to him she picked up her glass of wine and turned, scanning the room for a free table. It was early evening on a Saturday so the pub was pretty full, but Arya's sharp eyes quickly found a table at the back of a bar. Touching Eragon's arm she pointed to the table before leading the way through the people until they reached the table.

Eragon settled down into a chair at the table and stared nervously into his beer. They were silent for about five minutes, neither of them quite knowing what to say.

"Are you having a good birthday?" Arya asked eventually.

"Yes, one of the best." Eragon replied, instantly cursing himself for sounding so lame. Arya smiled.

"I'm glad to hear it. How old are you now?"

"19." Eragon said.

"Still so young." Arya said, a teasing tone entering her voice.

"I'm not that young." Eragon said defensively.

"Yes you are." Arya took another sip of her wine, her eyes sparkling over the top of the glass at him. Eragon found himself smiling.

"You're young too." he countered.

"Ahhhhh." Arya smiled. "But I've got experience and intelligence on my side."

"What are you trying to say?" Eragon asked.

"Nothing." Arya said with a soft chuckle, the sound of it sending shivers down Eragon's spine.

Arya had expected the awkwardness that had been lingering since they entered the pub to stay for a lot longer. But unexpectedly when they had sat down and she had allowed herself to ask the questions she had found herself relaxing. Over the next half an hour she found herself getting more involved in her conversation with Eragon, for once she allowed her brain to switch off and just enjoy that she was in conversation.

"Do you want another drink?" Arya asked as Eragon drained the last of his pint.

"Yeah. But I'll get them." Eragon smiled standing up.

"No you don't have too, it's your birthday." Arya started to protest, half rising from her seat.

"It's fine really." Eragon laughed, putting a hand on her shoulder to keep her in her seat. "You can get the next round." He winked and headed off towards the bar. Arya sank back down into her chair watching him as he leant against the bar chatting to the barman as he poured their drinks. Picking her glass she swilled around the last of her wine before downing it.

Eragon returned a moment later with two new drinks. "Here you go." He set the drink down in front of her.

"Thank you." Arya leant forward as Eragon sat down. "So I'm curious about something."

"What?"

"Growing up on a farm, what was that like?" Eragon looked a little taken aback by the question but answered nonetheless.

"It was all I ever knew." He said after a few moments. "Fresh air, hard work, animals. The countryside was all I ever knew, I didn't set foot in a city until I was nearly 10 years old."

"Wow, country boy through and through." Eragon laughed at her tone. "Did you miss it? Not having parents I mean?"

"Again, I never knew having them. As far as I was concerned Garrow was my father and his wife was like a mother to me until she died."

"I see."

"Why the sudden interest in my childhood?" Eragon asked, his eyes locking onto hers.

"I don't know." Arya admitted truthfully after a few seconds of trying to come up with a plausible explanation. "I guess I just realised that we've know each other for nearly six months and I don't actually know all that much about you."

"And you've just had a burning desire to know more." Eragon smiled, leaning forward resting on his elbows so their faces were only mere inches apart. Arya found herself glancing away briefly under his intense gaze.

"I wouldn't say burning desire, more curious interest." She replied.

"That pendulum swings both ways." Eragon said. "You want to know more about me, I want to know a little more about you." He explained in response to something he saw on her face. Arya hadn't even realised she had frowned, and realised that Eragon must have picked up on the smallest change in her expression.

"What do you want to know?" she said almost hesitantly, fearful of the questions that me might ask.

"Well, I told you a little about my childhood, tell me something about yours. Like for like, as it were."

"That's fair enough I guess." She took a breath. "Well there's not all that much to tell really, I had a normal upbringing with little or no drama. My parents were great if a little pressuring at times, my father was always the one who stood by me, Mother and I have a slightly more volatile relationship."

"Well that's good, normal is fine." Eragon replied. "Your turn?"

"Ahh ok. Well what made you decide to come and live in the city, country boy?" he raised an eyebrow at her last words before he answered.

"I don't know if I want to spend the rest of my life working on a farm. So I decided that I should get some experience doing other things so that when I do make a decision it will be an informed one."

"How very mature and sensible." Arya said, Eragon didn't fail to pick up on the teasing tone in her voice.

"As soon as I had the idea for what I wanted, Saphira leapt on the opportunity to have me up here and if I'm honest she was the one who really made it happen, Garrow wasn't going to let me come, it wasn't until Saphira stepped in that he changed his mind."

"Saphira does often have that power on people. I didn't want a partner but since Saphira was hired I don't know what I'd do without her."

"I've been that way since I was 10 years old." Eragon laughed. "And I'll probably be that way for many years to come. But don't tell her I said that, she'd never let it go!"

"I won't" Arya promised, "If you do the same."

"Deal." Eragon grinned holding up a hand with his little finger extended. Arya rolled her eyes and laughed before linking her little finger with his.

"So, my turn now to ask a question." Eragon said pulling his hand away from hers.

"Go ahead."

"Ok, my question is. Why don't you trust people?" the question, one she had been expecting still took Arya by surprise. She sat back and for a moment didn't answer.

"What makes you think I don't trust people?" she said. Eragon raised his eyebrows and she knew that she hadn't fooled him.

"Just little things." She appreciated his attempt to lighten the mood. "I mean you don't trust me do you?"

"It's not that I don't trust you, it's just..." Arya found herself lost for words, unable to explain what it was she really meant.

"It doesn't matter really, I shouldn't have asked."

"No no, it's fine." For some reason Arya didn't want him to be upset with her. "I know I'm not the most open person and that things have been..."she searched for the right word to describe the unresolved tension between them since the kiss in the car park. "...complicated, but I want you to know that I do value your friendship." Without realising what she was doing she'd reached out and covered his hand with her own.

Eragon's heart had dropped when Arya had said the word 'friendship' but when she put her hand over his he couldn't help but feel it sour again. Before the moment ended he had put his other hand over hers, pulling his sleeve up as he did to reveal his new watch.

"That's new." Arya said immediately, her long fingers moving from his hand to his wrist, turning his arm so that she could get a better look at the watch. "A birthday present?"

"From Saphira." Eragon managed to stutter, trying to ignore the fire her fingers were creating on the soft skin of his wrist.

"She has good taste." Arya said with a smile.

"Yes she has." Eragon tried not to move his hands, very aware that Arya hadn't removed her hands from his and was still allowing her fingertips to ghost over his wrist.

"Another drink?" Arya asked a couple of minutes later, Eragon nodded and much to his disappointment Arya removed her hands and stood up.

"Don't move, I'm getting these." She smiled before moving away. Eragon watched her weave through the people before looking at his phone. He hadn't heard anything from Saphira, which was unusual. He sent her a text asking her how long she was going to be, a small part of him hoped that she would stay away for a while because he was enjoying the time that he was spending with Arya.

Looking up again Eragon sought Arya out at the bar, and the sight that greeted him was not one that he liked. She had been approached by two guys who were now standing on either side of her and seemed to be trying to buy her a drink. Eragon felt anger pulling his stomach in knots and almost moved from his seat, but he forced himself with some difficulty to remain seated. He knew Arya well enough to know that she wouldn't appreciate him interfering and that she was probably more than capable of handling the situation herself. Sure enough from her profile he could see that she didn't look impressed and shook her head more than once.

After a couple of minutes she moved away from the bar and headed back towards the table, carrying hers and Eragon's drinks. Unfortunately the guys came with her. She reached the table and placed the drinks down shooting Eragon a look that told her she wasn't happy.

"Like I was saying before you should come and join us for a drink." One of the men was saying, he was tall and built like a brick wall with short cropped hair and small eyes.

"No thank you." Arya replied, she moved towards her seat but found that the other man was standing in the way effectively trapping her between the two men.

"Come on babe, it's just one drink. Who knows what'll happen." The first man leered, taking a step closer.

"She said no thank you." Eragon found the words were out of his mouth and he was on his feet before he could stop himself. The man turned to him slowly, shock flitting across his face before he smirked.

"And who's this?" he chuckled, taking a step away from Arya he moved towards Eragon. "You look a little young to be in here son, and you definitely don't look old enough to be enough for this lady." He turned his gaze back to Arya and looked her up and down.

Eragon forced himself to hold his ground, even though he was terrified. He'd only ever been in one fight in his life and it had ended with Roran breaking it up. He didn't want to fight the man, but he wasn't going to stand around and let Arya be harassed by the two men.

"Do yourself a favour son. Run along, leave us with the lady. We'll take good care of her." The man said sharing a look with his friend, whilst his hand came up to touch Arya on the cheek. She flinched.

"She's made it quite clear she doesn't want to go with you so why don't you run along, or don't you understand the meaning of the word no?" Eragon regretted the last few of words as soon as they were out of his mouth and he prayed they wouldn't have any repercussion.

Unfortunately for him they did. The man's face turned a deep beetroot red and his expression hardened. "What did you just say?" he growled, Eragon swallowed trying hard not to show his fear.

"I think you should just leave." He said again, thankful that his voice sounded level and clear. He could feel Arya's eyes on him but refused to look in her direction.

"What if I don't?" the man was now inches away from him.

"Then you're going to be disappointed because she's not going anywhere with you!" for the second time in as many moments Eragon regretted the words as they came out of his mouth and he internally cursed his feelings for Arya making him do stupid things.

This appeared to be the last straw for the man in front of him, because the next thing Eragon knew there was a fist coming towards his face. It made contact with a painful thud and Eragon stumbled back as pain exploded across his face. Arya was by his side in a flash, her strong hands keeping him upright. Looking up Eragon expected another punch to land, but was relieved to see that the man was being hauled away by his friend. As soon as they were out of sight Eragon collapsed into his chair.

"Eragon, are you ok?" Arya bobbed down in front of him speaking urgently. "Hang on I'll go and get some ice." She disappeared, leaving Eragon alone. He could tell that the people around him were looking and kept his eyes on his knees covering the part of his face that had been hit. Arya reappeared a few moments later and pressed some ice against his face.

"Thank you." Eragon muttered, wincing as the cold soothed his injury. Arya pulled up a chair next to him and kept the ice against his face.

"That was a very stupid thing to do." She said a moment later, Eragon looked up with a frown. "It was very brave, but very stupid, that man could have ripped you to pieces."

"I'm glad to see you have so much faith in my fighting abilities." He said, his pride as well as his face feeling battered.

"No matter how stupid it was, it was still very sweet and thank you." She said gently, obviously aware that she had dented his pride. Pulling the ice away she looked him in the eye, and he could see a tender look there. "Thank you." She said again. Leaning forward she pressed a soft kiss to the quickly bruising skin just below his eye. Eragon couldn't help but close his eyes and let a shiver run through his body at the contact. When he opened his eyes Arya hadn't moved, she was watching him intently and he could see in the indecision swirling in her eyes. Swallowing hard he moved forward.

"Tell me to stop and I will." He murmured when his lips were mere centimetres away from hers.

Arya said nothing.

Taking this as permission Eragon pressed his lips gently against hers, for a few agonising seconds she didn't respond but then suddenly she was kissing him back. This was nothing like the kiss they had shared in the club on the dance floor. That had been all about passion and urgency, this kiss was slow and sensual. Eragon took the time to commit the taste of her and sensations that coursed through his body to memory. He leant forward even more to deepen the kiss and Arya's hands came up to cup his face. Her fingers brushed against the tender skin of his face and he hissed in pain pulling back.

"Oh sorry," Arya apologised immediately. Eragon shook his head.

"It's fine." He was proud that he could even speak. "So what's happening here?" he gestured between the two of them.

"I don't know." Arya admitted. "Maybe we shouldn't try and work that out now."

Eragon was happy that Arya didn't seem to be freaking out, that wasn't to say that it wouldn't happen but he wasn't going to dwell on that now.

Arya's phone buzzed on the table. She picked it up but stayed close to Eragon, looking at the message she nodded and sent back a reply. "That was Saphira." She said. "She's had to go back to the flat from the office and says we should just meet her there. That ok with you?"

"Yeah sure fine, you gonna be ok to drive?"

"Yeah I'll be fine." Arya brushed off his concern and stood up slipping her jacket on. Eragon stood up as well. As he put his jacket on he felt Arya still watching him.

"What?"

"Nothing, I'm just sorry you got punched on your birthday." She said. Eragon shrugged.

"Not the best birthday present I've ever received but not the worst either." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "The aftermath was worth it." He winked before moving out of the bar, leaving Arya blushing behind him.

* * *

Across the busy bar Lenny swirled his whiskey round in his glass and watched as Arya and Eragon left the bar, having witnessed the entire exchange between Eragon and the man, and then the kiss.

"I think little brother." He said. "That we may have some news for the boss." A sly grin stretched his face and he drained his glass.

* * *

Eragon and Arya drove back towards the flat mostly in silence, but it seemed to be a more comfortable silence than Eragon was used to. He even looked over and caught Arya smiling to herself on occasion.

"How's your face?" Arya asked as they pulled into the car park and she cut the engine.

"It hurts a little, but I'm sure I'll live." Eragon laughed.

"God Saphira is going to kill me, we're left alone and you get punched in the face!" Arya ran a hand through her hair and turned to look at him. "It's already bruising. You're going to have a massive black eye tomorrow!" her hand came up again to trace it gently. Before he knew what he was doing Eragon had leaned over again to join their lips. A soft sigh escaped Arya's lips and gave him a chaste kiss.

"Sorry," Eragon apologised pulling back a second later. Arya didn't say anything but just gave him a smile.

"Shall we go inside?"

Eragon slotted his key in the door and opened it, calling out Saphira's name as he stepped through the door.

"In here." Saphira's voice came from the living room. Eragon edged his way into the room, which was unusually dark.

"SURPRISE!" Suddenly the light snapped on, blinding Eragon momentarily. When he regained his sight he was faced with a room full of people, headed by Saphira. Behind her were Emily, Nasuada and Orik. Eragon was very surprised to see Brom and Murtagh there as well.

"Oh my god!" Eragon breathed. "Did you know about this?!" he turned to Arya who shrugged and gave a smile. "Thank you so muc..."

"What the hell happened to you?!" Saphira barked suddenly bearing down on him and grabbing his face.

"Uhhh well."

"Did you get punched?" Saphira fumed, looking over Eragon she fixed her gaze on Arya. "Tell me you didn't punch him?"

"It wasn't Arya!" Eragon said, pulling his face out of her hands. "It was some guy at the bar."

"It was my fault Saphira." Arya spoke up coming to stand by Eragon. "Some guys were harassing me and he stood up to them."

"You?" Saphira turned back to Eragon. "In a fight?"

"I would hardly call it a fight." Eragon muttered. "He punched me once and then left." Saphira couldn't fight the smile that twitched at her mouth.

"I leave you two alone for a couple of hours." She said shaking her head. "Kind of ruined my surprise." She turned back to the group of people who were watching them with mixed emotions. Nasuada and Emily looked concerned, Brom looked a little bit proud and Orik and Murtagh just sniggered.

"So you weren't at the office?"

"No I was here making a dinner for you!" Saphira laughed guiding him to the table.

"Thank you."

Saphira had pulled out all the stops. How they managed to fit eight people around the small dining room table was a mystery to Eragon but what he did know was that the food was amazing.

"Here I got you a gift." Murtagh said from his side, he placed a bottle of whiskey on the table. "That's good stuff that is." Murtagh carried on as Eragon turned the bottle in his hands.

"Cheers mate, we'll have a glass together later." Eragon promised.

"I didn't get you anything but a card." Emily said from across the table handing it over. "But I'm a poor law student so I expect to be excused."

"I guess I can forgive you this once." Eragon laughed. He could see Arya out o the corner of his eye sat next to him. She had been very quiet throughout the meal, and he was worried that she was starting to freak out about what happened earlier. As if she sensed him watching her Arya glanced his way and gave him a reassuring smile. Feeling bold Eragon gently moved his hand from his own lap to hers, resting it gently on her leg. Arya made no acknowledgment of the move, but a few seconds later her hand covered his giving it a gentle squeeze before putting his had back in his own lap.

The dinner came to an end sooner than Eragon would have wanted, but everyone was tired after weeks of working on the merger and wanted to leave. Brom was the first to leave, having not said much throughout the whole evening, and staying as far away from Murtagh as he could. Orik had left shortly after him apologising profusely but he had to go and see his uncle.

Emily and Nasuada left together, the older woman offering Emily a lift home. Emily kissed his cheek and pulled him into tight hug.

"Happy birthday!" she whispered in his ear her breath ghosting over his ear.

"Thank you." He pressed a tender kiss to her cheek and showed her out of the door. Turning he saw Arya watching him, when she caught him watching she looked away a slight blush on her cheeks. He hid a smile and came back into the living room settling down beside her on the sofa.

"Thank you again Saphira." He said as his best friend collapsed into an armchair.

"Don't mention it." She grinned, waving a hand exhaustedly. She looked to Arya. "You're not driving home tonight are you?" Arya hesitated.

"I've had a fair amount to drink." She said finally.

"You can have my bed." Eragon said immediately drawing a look from Saphira.

"I couldn't ask you to do that on your birthday." Arya protested.

"It's fine don't worry." Eragon looked at his new watch. "Besides my birthday's over now anyway."

"Well when you put it like that."

Saphira watched their exchange through slightly narrowed eyes, something had changed. Too tired to try and figure it out she stood up.

"Well I'm off to bed, I'll see you both in the morning." She stood up rubbing her eyes and left the room, pausing only to ruffle Eragon's hair as she went past.

Arya was getting ready in Eragon's room when there was a soft knock at the door.

"Come in." The door swung open and Eragon walked in.

"Sorry to disturb you, just come to pick up a couple of things."

"That's ok," Arya smiled, pulling her hair back into a ponytail. Eragon pottered around, picking things up, aware of Arya's eyes on him as he did so.

"Well I've got everything I need." He said a moment later.

"Ok." Arya stood by the bed.

"Thank you again for this evening."

"You're welcome. Sorry again you got punched." She couldn't hide a smile.

"It's fine. Added a bit of drama to the day, otherwise it just would have been a normal birthday." Eragon laughed. He was now standing next to her, clothes clutched in his arms. Looking up he met her eyes, for a moment he thought she might kiss him again. But the moment passed and she looked away.

"Well good night Eragon."

"Good night Arya."

* * *

The Ra'zac brothers stood nervously in front of their new boss. They'd been in the job just under a week and it was time for their first progress report. Behind them Morzan and Durza stood, stone faced, but each relieved to be out of the hot seat.

The man himself Galbatorix was on the phone, he murmured quietly into the receiver. Finally he put the phone down and gazed at the two brothers.

"Good evening gentlemen. I'm glad we can finally meet in person." He said softly.

"Yes sir, it's good to meet you too." Lenny replied.

"So, what do you have for me?"

"Well sir, we've been following the people on the list as requested. They've all been finishing this merger sir. Here's a review of what we've found out in the office." He placed a couple of sheets of paper in front of the Empire CEO. Galbatorix nodded.

"Anything else?" Lenny nodded and proceeded to tell him what had happened in the pub earlier that evening. By the time he finished his story Galbatorix was smiling.

"So the boy has feelings for Miss Dröttningu?" he said leaning back in his chair. "Well that is interesting, can we use that Mr Forsworn?"

"I think we can sir." Morzan said.

"Good." Galbatorix looked back to the brothers. "Good work lads, keep it up. I'll see you in a week." The dismissal was clear and the two men were almost tripping over themselves to leave his presence.

Galbatorix sighed. "This information will be useful to us." He said handing the papers to Morzan. "See that this is passed on properly."

"Yes sir." Morzan said taking the papers and left the office with Durza. Galbatorix was left alone in his office a thoughtful look on his face.

* * *

**Well what do you think? Let me know in the form of a review :) **

**Pirate-x-Girls **


	18. Chapter 17

**First of all thank you all so much for all your reviews! It's a joy to read every single one of them, I'm particularly relieved that people like the portrayal of Eragon and Arya's relationship because the most important thing for me was that it was a realistic portrayal so thank you for that. And to all the people who sent me messaged me to get me moving thank you as well, it's always nice to see when people message me telling me how much they enjoy the story, you guys are the reason I write this story so keep it up! I hope this chapter lives up to this expectations and that you all enjoy it! **

* * *

**Flashes**

**Chapter 17**

"Have you got everything?" Eragon rolled his eyes as he zipped up his suitcase.

"For the fourth time this morning yes!" he called out of his room.

"Just checking, don't want you to get back to the farm and realise that you've forgotten your underwear or something."

"You do realise that I lived on the farm and I left some stuff behind?" Eragon said hauling his suitcase off of the bed and out into the hallway. Saphira popped her head out of her room.

"Oh." She said. "Well good." Going back into her room he heard her rustling around. "Arya and Nasuada are on their way over." She called a moment later.

"Ok good. What's the plan for going down there?"

"Nasuada is coming with me, you'll be going with Arya."

"Why two cars?" Eragon had assumed they would all be going in one car.

"Well it's just in case someone needs to come back early that way we'll have transport for everyone else." by someone Eragon knew Saphira meant Arya.

"Why am I going with Arya?"

"So that you can help direct her, she doesn't know where she's going!" Saphira looked at him as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. There was a loud thump from Saphira's room followed by the sound of something heavy being dragged across the carpet.

"Jesus what have you got in there?!" Eragon laughed as Saphira appeared dragging her suitcase out of her room. "A dead body?"

"There'll be a dead body in this hallway if you don't help me with this case." Saphira growled causing Eragon to laugh and hurry over to help her.

Ten minutes later the buzzer went for the flat.

"We'll be right down." Saphira said before throwing the front door open and starting to slowly drag her case out the door. Eragon watched her struggle for a moment before pressing the intercom button again.

"Actually give us 10 minutes."

Arya and Nasuada were waiting for them beside Arya's car. Eragon strained with the effort of lifting Saphira's case down the final step before wheeling it over to the car.

"Good morning." Arya said with a smirk as he just about collapsed at her feet.

"Good...morning." Eragon panted. Taking a moment to get his breath back before standing up straight. "Ready for our country adventure girls?" he asked the two women.

"Only if we don't get lost getting there!" Nasuada snorted.

"Don't worry Nasuada, we have sat nav." Saphira said lightly as she put Eragon's case by Arya's car. "It's you two who have to worry, you're going by Eragon's memory."

"We'll be fine." Eragon assured Arya quickly as she shot him a worried look.

"We'd better be." she warned pointing her car key at him. "Right put your case in the car and get this show on the road." Eragon did a mock salute and hurried to put his suitcase in the boot.

"Right do you guys wanna follow us?" Saphira opened the driver's door.

"That might be easier." Arya replied shooting Eragon another look.

"You should probably have a little more faith in my navigating abilities." Eragon muttered getting into the car.

Half an hour later and they were clearing the outskirts of the city. Eragon's job had been minimal so far, Arya knew the city a lot better than he did, it would be once they were on the back country roads that she would need his help.

"Your face is looking...better." Arya commented as they came off of a slip road onto the motorway.

"Don't lie." Eragon laughed. It was true, the bruising was worsened in the two days since Eragon's birthday, and his left eye was now ringed with deep purple bruising.

"Does it hurt?" Arya asked and Eragon was secretly pleased to hear some concern in her voice.

"A little." He shrugged, not wanting her to know how much pain he was actually in. What he didn't tell her was that they day after his birthday he had woken up on the sofa and rolled onto his side, completely forgetting about his face, the pain as he had pressed his face into the fabric of the sofa had been excruciating. "But it's getting better."

"How's Saphira been about it?"

"Relentless!" Eragon groaned. "Once she got over the concern that it had actually happened she didn't stop making fun of me."

"Did you expect anything else?"

"Not really. It's kind of a relief to be in a separate car for this journey, don't think I could have taken 5 hours of her teasing."

The two of them lapsed into silence as the motorway melted by. Eragon risked a couple of glances Arya's way as the next hour passed them by, each time she was staring ahead at the road. This was the first time they had seen each other since his birthday. When he had woken up the morning after Arya had already left the flat. It wasn't as awkward as he had been expecting, but there were still some things he wanted to stay to her, but past experience told him that saying them was not the best idea.

Arya for her part was wrapped up a lot in her own thoughts. Because she had no work to be getting on with she had spent a large portion of the weekend thinking about what had happened in the bar. She had prepared in her mind a lot of things she could say to Eragon when they saw each other again, but now in the car she couldn't remember a single thing, it was a new experience for her to be at a loss for words she was usually so in control of her emotions and thoughts.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Arya asked a while later. Saphira's car had long disappeared out of sight on the motorway and Eragon had directed Arya off of the motorway and off towards the country. Eragon sat up a bit straighter at her words and looked out of the window.

"Uhhh yeah?" he said, not sounding sure at all. Arya shot him a look.

"Are you sure?"

"Not really." Eragon admitted with a sheepish smile. Arya shot him an exasperated look.

"So much for your navigational skills." She grumbled.

"I wouldn't say this was all my fault." Eragon protested. "Pull over when you can and let me have a look at the map." Arya huffed and drove up the small country road that was fenced by large hedgerows. A couple of miles up the road was a small lay by that Arya pulled the car into. Eragon held out his hand and she pressed the map into his hand with a sceptical look, that look turned to confusion when Eragon opened the car door and stepped out.

"What are you doing?" she asked opening her own door.

"I want a better look at the map." Eragon spread the map out onto the bonnet of the car. "So I can see where you went wrong."

"If anybody went wrong it certainly wasn't me!" Arya snorted coming to stand next to him, resting one hand on the edge of the map to keep it from moving and the other rested beside Eragon's hands, their fingers a hairs width apart. Eragon traced the line of on the roads with his finger.

"So we came off of the motorway here." He said pointing at a spot on the map. "And then we came down these roads here, did you turn left here?" he looked up at Arya.

"No, because you told me to go right." She replied checking the map.

"Why would I have told you to go right when I knew we had to go left?!" Eragon laughed turning to look at her.

"I don't know, but I sure as hell heard you telling me to go right."

"Maybe you've started hearing things." Eragon shook his head.

"Or you're just crap at navigating." Arya countered. Eragon raised his eyebrows.

"Or you don't listen." He replied, giving her a smirk. Arya waved him away with a flick of her hand.

"Right so now we know where we went wrong can you get us back on the right track?" she arched an eyebrow. "Or is that too much to ask of you?"

Eragon folded up the map. "I think I can manage." He replied before making his way back into the car.

A few miles up the road Saphira looked in her rear view mirror and frowned.

"How long have Eragon and Arya not been behind us?" she asked. Nasuada twisted in her seat and gave a quick glance to the road behind them.

"I don't know. I think we lost them somewhere on the motorway." She replied.

Saphira sighed. "I knew they'd get lost." She grumbled.

* * *

"And turn _here_." Arya shot Eragon a look at the emphasised direction.

"Yes thank you." She turned the car, and set off up the road they had missed an hour before.

"Well done, we're back on the right road now." Eragon smirked, ignoring the second dirty look Arya threw his way.

"Just concentrate on the road please so we don't get lost again." She muttered.

The two of them finally caught up with Saphira and Nasuada at a small cafe at a farm a couple of hours away from Carvahall.

"You two took your time!" Saphira grinned as they joined them at a table.

"Blame this one here." Arya replied jerking her thumb in Eragon's direction. "He got us lost."

"Pay up!" Saphira turned to Nasuada and held out a hand. The other woman sighed and fished a note out of her purse and placed into Saphira's hand.

"What did you bet on?" Eragon asked.

"Which one of you would be responsible"

"And you bet against me?! Nice."

"It is for me I won!" Saphira waved the note around grinning. "So other than getting lost, how was the first part of your journey?"

"It was fine." Arya said, rolling her shoulders and clicking her neck. "How far away are we?"

"I'd say another couple of hours." Eragon replied taking a sip of the drink that Saphira pushed across the table to him.

"As long as you don't get lost again." Saphira smirked.

They were back on the road again within half an hour, Saphira and Nasuada leading and Eragon and Arya following.

Silence had once again descended on the car. Eragon stared at the road ahead, watching the bushes whiz past, silently working up the courage to say something.

Finally he took a deep breath and turned to look at Arya. "I've been meaning to talk to you about something." He said.

"Oh really, what's that?" Arya replied not taking her eyes off of the road, even though she knew full well what Eragon wanted to talk about.

"The other night on my birthday. In the pub, when we...kissed." Eragon hesitated on the last word and watched Arya's face carefully for a reaction. Finding nothing in her expression he took it as a sign that he should carry on speaking. "You said at the time when I asked what was happening that we shouldn't try and work it out then." He paused again; giving Arya time to say anything should she want to, again she remained silent. "I just thought we might be able to you know...talk about it now." He trailed off, put off by her silence and feeling a little foolish.

Arya knew that she had to say something. Adjusting her grip on the steering wheel she took a deep breath, much like he had a minute earlier. "You're right; I think we do need to talk about what happened. But..." out of the corner of her eye she saw Eragon's face fall and before she could stop herself she had reached out and taken one of his hands. "...I'm not saying I regret it, but things are just very complicated for me at the moment. I know that sounds like I'm making excuses again, but I really do think that we shouldn't talk about it right this second." She saw Eragon nodding and knew that he still didn't believe her, so she gave his hand a tender squeeze. "We will talk it through and work out what's going on, and I promise it will be sometime this week." She took her eyes off of the road for a couple of seconds to offer him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. Fortunately he seemed to finally believe her and smiled back.

The rest of the journey was spent making polite small talk. Arya was heavily preoccupied with what Eragon had said, now trying to work out what she would say to him when they had the conversation in the week that she had now promised. Now that the burden of work had been lifted there was nothing else for her to occupy her time with and she realised that after this week her and Eragon's relationship would change, but for the better or worse she could not yet say.

As they got closer and closer to the farm Eragon found himself getting more and more excited. As much as he loved his life in the city and all the different people and things that were happening there, there were times when he yearned for the solitude of the open countryside, he was looking forward to taking long walks in the woods and hearing nothing but the sound of his own breathing and the wildlife around him, he was looking forward to sitting beside the fire with Garrow in the evening after a nice meal, and showing his friends the world he had grown up in. Soon they were passing places that he knew, the villages and farms where he had spent a lot of time growing up. The fields he played in with the other children, all held memories. As the signs for Carvahall started to appear the knot of excitement in his stomach grew.

Arya could sense his change in emotion and stifled in a smile. "Are we close?" she asked as she took another turn after a Carvahall sign.

"Yes." Eragon replied. "Should be another 10 minutes or so."

Sure enough within 10 minutes they were passing up the Carvahall main street. They had caught up with Saphira and Nasuada just inside the town and were now crawling down the road behind them. Within a couple of minutes they had cleared the high street and were moving towards the outskirts of Carvahall. Saphira's car led them down a small winding road towards some distant farm buildings.

"That's it!" Eragon grinned, his eyes taking in the familiar buildings as they got closer and closer.

Saphira's car came to a stop in the large farmyard outside the main farmhouse. Eragon recognised Roran's battered jeep with a smile and was unbuckling his seat belt and reaching for the door before the car had even stopped. As he almost fell out of the car the front door of the farmhouse opened and Garrow appeared in the doorway.

As soon as Garrow laid his eyes on his nephew his expression brightened and he hurried forward to pull him into a fierce hug. Eragon squeezed his uncle tightly, breathing in his familiar scent.

"Eragon!" a voice from behind Garrow drew his attention, looking over his uncle's shoulder he saw Roran come bounding out of the house towards him. Releasing Garrow he braced himself for his cousin's embrace, which almost knocked him off his feet.

"By god it's good to see you!" Roran beamed slapping Eragon hard on the back almost knocking him over again. "What the hell happened to your eye?"

"It's a long story." Eragon muttered. "But it's good to see you too cousin." Eragon turned and saw Saphira coming over towards Garrow, a huge grin on her face.

"Saphira!" the older man greeted her like a daughter, kissing her cheek and pulling her into a hug. "It's so lovely to see you, you look wonderful!"

"Thank you Garrow, always the charmer!" Saphira laughed pressing a kiss, causing him to blush. "I'd like to introduce you to Arya and Nasuada; they both work with me and Eragon."

"It's lovely to meet you ladies." Garrow smiled at them book as he shook their hands. "Come on inside, you must all be starving!"

Arya stepped inside the house and was immediately amazed by how homely it felt. She had thought that her mother's house had been cosy; in fact it had been almost stifling when she had been growing up, but this house was completely different. Wooden panelling lined the hallway into a small reception room that looked out onto the small garden which itself boasted a beautiful view of the rest of the farm and the countryside beyond it. There were photos everywhere, hanging off of the walls and adorning most of the cabinets, photos of Eragon and Roran growing up, photos of Garrow and his wife on their wedding day and the birth of their son.

There was one photo of Eragon and his mother. It sat, almost in pride of place on the mantelpiece. Eragon was a baby, not more than a couple of days old; he was cradled in his mother's arms eyes on her face and her eyes on his. There was an intimacy about the picture that made Arya smile.

Eragon came to stand next to her. "I love this picture." He smiled tenderly and picked up the picture. "It's the only picture we have of us together."

"When was the last time you saw her?"

"My 6th birthday." Eragon replied. "But Garrow always wanted to make sure I never forgot about her, which is why this picture is here, and there are pictures of her all over the house."

Katrina and Roran made them all a meal that night, it was the first night in a long time that Arya had sat down and had what could have been described as a family meal. The times she'd had meals with her mother they had been cold and silent, and whenever they did speak it seemed that it would always end up in an argument.

Just looking at Garrow it was clear to see how happy he was to have Eragon back on the farm with him. The older man would often allow his eyes to just linger on his nephews face, drinking it in as if he hadn't seen him in years, he would often just reach out and touch him, like if he didn't he was going to vanish.

Roran entertained them all with stories about Eragon when he had been a child, which caused Eragon to blush and bow his head towards his plate. By the time the meal was over it was late and people had started to yawn.

"If you want to go to bed I've made some rooms for you upstairs." Garrow said, standing up. "Saphira you're in the room just at the top of the stairs, Nasuada you're in the room next door and Arya you're in the room next to Eragon's at the back of the house. If you need anything just let me or Eragon know and we'll be glad to go and get it for you."

"Yes we'd best be off now as well then. Let you guys get to bed." Roran and Katrina stood up.

"Where are you going then?" Eragon asked, as far as he was aware Roran still lived at the farm with Garrow.

"Katrina and I have rented a flat in the town." Roran replied, not able to meet Eragon's eyes.

"Oh, you never mentioned that." Eragon replied coldly. He had spoken to Roran a couple of times about making sure that Garrow had company as he got older and it seemed that he had ignored Eragon's concerns and moved out leaving his uncle on his own, his cousin had known that Eragon would not be happy about this so he had decided to not say anything. Eragon was surprised that Katrina hadn't said anything about it to him. Not wanting to get into an argument in front of the guests and especially not in front of Garrow he let it go and smiled. "Right well I'll guess we'll see you guys tomorrow?"

"Yeah we'll come by." Roran replied, watching Eragon warily, obviously wondering why he hadn't said anything about the flat.

They said their goodbyes at the door and Roran and Katrina left, Garrow watching the car until it had disappeared off up the road. Coming back inside he smiled at Eragon. "You must be tired, go and get some sleep."

"Don't you want me to stay up with you for a little while?" Eragon asked, feeling a little guilty that he had not spent a lot of time talking to his uncle.

"No, no it's fine. You go up to bed; there'll be plenty of time to catch up in the morning." Garrow gave him a small push towards the stairs. "It's good to have you home." Eragon smiled at his uncle's words before dragging his tired feet up the stairs to his old room.

* * *

Back in the city it was past midnight but Brom was still busy at work. Ajihad had given him a small office in a secluded corner of Varden that had become like a second home to him. In the time that he had spent abroad things had changed vastly at Varden, they were bigger and more successful that he had ever imagined, and it made his heart swell with pride.

After being injured in battle some 4 decades earlier and being discharged from the UN peacekeeping force Brom had been determined to continue to help people whose lives were being devastated by conflict all over the world. He had come to realise in his time in the army that conflict was not always the way to solve these problems and that there could be more that he could do to help. So with the help of Ajihad and various other powerful people he had met in his travels across the globe they had set about creating Varden, a corporation that could come to help people who could not help themselves. With Ajihad and the other board members business experience and Brom's knowledge of what was happening abroad they were able to set up an ethically sound business that not only made profit and became one of the most powerful companies in the country but also helped to save the lives of millions of people.

Now that he was back now Brom had a lot to catch up on and paperwork was not his favourite thing to do. Sighing heavily he picked up the next folder, that was at least two inches thick and flipped the first page. He had a lot of reports to go over before a meeting with Ajihad and the other board members in a couple of days time, he didn't like meetings, all the sitting and talking with little action made him frustrated when all he longed for was to be out doing things, not sat in a stuffy board room talking in circles.

Over the next half an hour he worked his way through the report, a lot of the information he was reading was new to him, so for that at least he was grateful. When he had been abroad there had not been much time to check in with the company other than the odd phone call or letter sent to Ajihad with things he had learnt. He had of course heard rumours whilst he had been away, rumours that had concerned him. They were mostly about Empire and Galbatorix, it seemed that in the last few years Galbatorix had come out of the shadows where he had been lurking for the last decade, not really doing much, watching and waiting. But now it seemed that he had his sights set on something and was very eager to get it. Word had reached Brom that Empire had been buying out various companies and products, the reports were sketchy at best, it seemed that Galbatorix did not want people knowing what he was doing. Brom had spent many months debating whether or not he should go back to Varden, on the one hand he did not want to leave the freedom of the life he had been living for the past couple of years but at the same time if there was trouble on the horizon for Varden then it was his place to be there.

His mind was made up for him when Ajihad sent him word that Empire had made a move to try and buy Dûrgrimst, a company that Brom had worked with for many years, at Brom's advice Ajihad had agreed to enter into a merger with the smaller company to save it from Galbatorix's clutches. Brom had then concluded his business abroad as quickly as he could and headed back to Varden so that he could assess for himself exactly what was going on.

Brom had always been wary of Galbatorix; they had met several times in the years before Galbatorix took over the board at Empire. Even then when he had been an unassuming man who many people had overlooked, it could not be denied that he had talent for manipulating people and strategy, but it was how he used his talents that first made Brom suspicious of him. Even when they had been young men he had seen the ruthless streak in Galbatorix, and it had come as little surprise to him when the news emerged that Galbatorix had initiated a takeover of the board and all the assets of the company. He had actually tried to warn the members of Empire's board that there was something not right about Galbatorix, but they had been proud men who could not believe that someone who was just in charge of a small department in their company could be a threat to them.

In the years after the takeover of Empire Brom had met Galbatorix on a few occasions, these meetings had always been brief and clipped. Both men knew of the danger that the other possessed, although Galbatorix certainly took a less wary approach to the whole affair. Whenever they met he seemed to be intent on goading Brom into a form of confrontation, make him lose the stone exterior that he was famous for. Brom for his part never allowed Galbatorix to get under his skin, knowing that showing any sign of weakness in front of them man could turn out to be a fatal mistake.

Galbatorix was not the only man on the Empire board that Brom had known for a long time. Morzan had been a malevolent near constant presence in Brom's life since his late teens. They had been at university together, and had even been friends and then when Brom had joined the peace keeping force Morzan had opted to as well but had lasted only a few weeks before he was kicked out. Their commanding officer had seen something in the young man that had frightened him, he was reckless and there was a side of him that would not be suited to peace keeping, it was worried that if Morzan was allowed into a conflict zone then he would become a liability. Brom had defended his then friend as well as he could but could do nothing to prevent him from being sent away. Morzan had always taken this as a personal attack and became convinced that Brom had done this deliberately, their friendship had broken down and when Brom had set up Varden they found themselves working on opposite sides. Brom had tried to convince Morzan against siding with Galbatorix but Morzan refused to listen, since then he and Brom had hated each other.

Brom was on the last page of his report when the door of his small office swung open and the very object of his thoughts, Morzan, swept in. Brom looked up and arched one eyebrow in surprise as his rival circled his office without so much as looking in his direction.

"Little bit small isn't it?" Morzan drawled by way of greeting. "You'd think they'd have given you a bigger office."

"It suits my purposes." Brom replied stiffly. "How the hell did you get in here?"

"The security guard let me up after I told him we were old friends." Morzan replied finally turning to look at Brom, a smirk on his face. Brom made a quick mental note to give the security guard a bollocking later on, and remind him that all visitors after hours had to be confirmed by himself.

"Still lying then?"

"Not technically lying." Morzan said. "We're both old, well you certainly are, and we were friends." With another one of his trademark smirks he settled down in a chair and crossed his legs.

"The emphasis being on the word _were_." Brom said closing his file and strategically folding his hands over it. He didn't put it past Morzan to try and get a look at what was happening at Varden. "What are you doing here?"

"I just came to talk. Is that so hard to believe?"

"Yes." Brom said shortly.

"Oh Brom, so cynical. It's times like these I'm glad they kicked me out of the army, if all it did was make you this suspicious of everyone."

"I have good reason to be suspicious of you Morzan. It was you after all who tried to have me killed in China."

"That was never proved!" Morzan retorted. "I'm pretty sure you just slipped, mountains can be treacherous places after all."

Brom snorted but held his tongue; it would not do to allow Morzan to get a rise out of him. "Well if you have come to talk, then talk. Say what you have to and then get out of here."

"I just fancied a catch up is all. After all you've been gone for so long; we will probably have loads to talk about."

"You and I stopped having things to talk about the day you..." Brom stopped and pulled himself up, aware that he was beginning to lose his temper.

"The day I what?" Morzan's voice lowered and took on a dangerous tone. "What happened that day was your fault."

"I'm not talking about this with you." Brom said, standing up. "Now if you would leave?"

"I heard about your man who died. How tragic that he jumped off that building like that." Morzan stood up too. Brom turned slowly to look into Morzan's mismatched eyes, taking in his smile.

"What do you know about that?" he asked.

"Me? Nothing, only that it was a suicide, such a shame."

"I warn you now Morzan, if I find out you had anything to do with what happened I'll..."

"You'll what Brom?" Morzan leaned forward and placed his hands on Brom's desk. "You'll kill me? You've made that threat before, but have yet to carry it out."

"There's always time." Brom muttered through clenched teeth.

It was at that moment that Morzan's phone rang. Straightening up he pulled the phone out of his pocket and held it to his ear. "Hello? Yes sir, I'm here with him now." He paused. "Alright then." He held out the hand towards Brom. "It's for you." Brom gingerly took the phone, having a pretty good idea of who was on the other end.

"Hello."

"Brom, it's been a while." Sure enough Galbatorix's voice sounded down the line to him. "How were your travels?"

"What do you want?" Brom asked, completely ignoring the other man's question.

"Just a chat." Galbatorix replied lightly. "It's been so long." His words, so like Morzan's a few moments before sent a small shiver down Brom's spine.

"A chat about what?"

"I just wanted to find out how things were going over at Varden; you have all been so very busy lately." Galbatorix spoke as if he were speaking to a child. "And then you had the tragic death of that man." Brom's suspicions about Empire's involvement in the incident were confirmed at the other man's words.

"Yes it was very tragic." He replied, not wanting to give Galbatorix a proper answer.

"You've been recruiting as well from what I see. That young boy who works with Miss Howl, Eragon? He's fascinating." Brom felt his blood run cold.

"Now you listen to me." He growled. "You leave Eragon alone, whatever your problem is with me stays with me you do not go near him, do you understand me?"

"Brom I had no idea you were so protective. But then again it makes sense, funny, I hadn't realised your choice of home in Carvahall all those years ago had been so deliberate." Brom felt a twinge of fear. "Anyway, I must be off, lots to do. But I'll make sure that I see Eragon sometime soon." The line went dead and Brom handed the phone back to Morzan numbly.

"What's the matter Brom, you look like you've seen a ghost?" Morzan's tone was mocking. Brom looked up at him and anger flashed in his eyes. Quicker than Morzan could have anticipated Brom had come round the side of the desk and grabbed the other man by his lapels, shoving him forcefully into the wall.

"How did Galbatorix know about Eragon?!" he demanded. Morzan grinned.

"He's a clever man, and a powerful one. It pays to know these things in this profession, you would know that if you spent more time actually doing work instead of putting your head in the clouds."

"How did he know?!" Brom roared, Morzan's grin slipped for a second as Brom's hands tightened on his jacket.

"Well, there are many ways. But there's one that springs to mind for me." Morzan met Brom's gaze unflinching. "You remember my son Morzan? Well he works for your very company now, did you know that?" Brom froze, he remembered Morzan's boy at Eragon's party, he had been the spitting image of his father but nobody had told him that the boy worked for Varden. "It's been so enlightening having him work here." Morzan continued, taking great delight in Brom's expression.

"Get out." Brom snapped, dragging Morzan over to the door he ripped it open and shoved Morzan out into the corridor. "If I see you here again, or near Eragon, I _will _kill you!" he slammed the door shut with a crash.

Morzan straightened up and adjusted his lapels with a smirk. Brom's reaction to Galbatorix had confirmed what they had already known, it gave them something to use. Turning away he stalked off down the corridor to the lift, riding it down to the bottom floor he took the time to straighten his suit when Brom had grabbed him. It was good that Brom had lost his temper, it meant he was getting emotional, and emotions meant mistakes.

As he walked through the lobby Morzan couldn't help another smile as he thought about what he had achieved. He had finally penetrated Brom's armour and found a weakness, not only that but he had managed to deflect suspicion away from their mole in Varden, Galbatorix had always known that Ajihad and Brom would suspect sabotage when their man died, the main idea had been to keep the police off the scent and make them suspect a suicide, not foul play. Galbatorix had highlighted the importance of sending Varden down the wrong track.

Sending them after Murtagh had been a stroke of genius, Morzan had been looking for a while for a way to punish his son, and without realising it Murtagh had dropped the answer right in his father's lap, Varden would probably already be wary of Murtagh but by getting them to think he was a mole he would soon be forced out, and then he would come crawling back to his father, and when he did Morzan and Galbatorix would be ready for him.

Morzan slid into his car and gave his driver an address, as the car pulled away from the kerb it started to rain. Soon the rain was pounding on the pavement and the cars windscreen wipers were making a near constant sweep on the front window. Irritated by the noise Morzan closed the partition between him and his driver before pressing a button, soft classical music filled the back of the car effectively blocking out the sound of the rain.

The rain had not lessened by the time Morzan reached his destination, getting out of the car he told his driver to wait and moved swiftly into the apartment building in front of him. One look at the decrepit lift in the lobby told him that he wasn't going anywhere in it, so he made straight for the stairs.

Upon reaching the second floor from the top he came to a stop in front of a battered door. Raising a hand he rapped sharply on the door. After a moment of silence there was a shuffling sound on the other side of the door, it was yanked open sharply and Murtagh's tired eyes looked out at him.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Murtagh muttered sleepily. Morzan raised an eyebrow.

"Now is that anyway to greet your father?" he replied.

"Oh I'm sorry." Murtagh said stretching. "What the hell are you doing here _dad_?!"

"Can I come in?" Morzan asked. "This corridor has a draught in it." For a moment it looked like Murtagh might say no but then he took a step back and allowed Morzan into the flat. Going into the living room Morzan perched on the edge of the sofa. It had taken him months to find out where his son lived and many promises that he wouldn't try and get Murtagh to come home if he knew before he had been allowed anywhere near the flat. Not that he came here often, Morzan did not like the unkempt nature of the neighbourhood, but then if his plan worked out Murtagh would soon be begging to return home.

"So what can I do for you?" Murtagh asked, folding his arms across his bare chest.

"He wants to see you." Morzan replied, he didn't have to say who 'he' was, Murtagh would know.

"Well you can tell him the same thing I've told him for the last 3 years, I don't want to see him." Murtagh turned to his coffee table and picked up the half finished beer that sat on the coffee table, as he did so Morzan caught sight of the scar he had inflicted stretched across his son's back. There had been times after it had happened that Morzan had felt twinges of guilt about the scar, but now over ten years later he felt nothing when he looked at it. Murtagh finished the rest of the beer and disappeared into the kitchen.

"You want anything?" he called from the kitchen.

"Got any champagne?"

"Sorry I finished my last bottle this evening." Morzan smiled at the sarcastic tone in his son's voice. "I have some beer and that's it."

"Go on then." Morzan sighed. When Murtagh came back through he accepted the bottle his son handed him without a glance in his direction. He took a sip from the bottle and winced as the lukewarm liquid slid down his throat.

"You know, I really think you should reconsider." He said as Murtagh sat down opposite him.

"I really don't think I should." Murtagh took a swig of his own beer and regarded his father with a hard expression. "We've had this discussion a hundred times and my answer won't change."

"You think they're going to accept you at Varden?" Morzan asked raising an eyebrow.

"Yes I do."

"They won't son."

"Not everyone is like you dad." Murtagh snorted. "Some people are actually capable of being nice."

"Galbatorix was always nice to you." Morzan said.

"There's a big difference between being nice and trying to control people." Murtagh took a long drink, not taking his eyes off of his father. "Then again Galbatorix has always had you under the thumb."

"Watch your tone." Morzan snapped. "And don't speak about things you know nothing about."

"You have spent most of your life being a slave to a man who..."

"I am no slave!" Morzan hissed, his calm exterior slipping for a moment. "I am my own man and always have been." Pausing he took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. "You will come to learn son, that sometimes it's better to be a follower, you can still get what you want out of life by letting other people lead, you watch, you wait, and you plan."

"Well you've been watching and waiting for too long old man." Murtagh didn't seem fazed by his father's change in mood; he had seen it enough as a child. "And as far as I'm aware you have no plan."

Morzan stood up and placed his half finished drink on the coffee table. "That shows how little you know." He did up his coat and headed towards the door, he stopped in the doorway and turned back to look at his son. "Think about what I've said son, you may need what Galbatorix and I have to offer sooner than you think." Turning he swept out of the room, leaving Murtagh sitting alone in the gloom, sipping at his beer.

* * *

Arya was woken the next morning by the sound of birdsong outside her window. Blinking sleepily she stared at the unfamiliar ceiling, trying to work out where she was, after a few seconds she remembered that she was in the country, at the farm.

Sitting up she rubbed her eyes and looked at the clock set beside her bed. She was surprised to see that it was almost half 10. Arya was not one for lie ins, her body clock seemed to be set to wake her every morning before 6 o'clock. She felt more rested then she had felt in months and as she threw back the covers and walked over to the window she realised that for the first time in a long time she hadn't woken up worrying about work. Approaching the window she pulled back the curtains and allowed the morning sunlight to come streaming into the room. The room that she had been given offered wonderful views out into the countryside and the farmyard below. Movement in the yard caught her attention, casting her gaze down she saw Eragon walking across the yard pushing a wheelbarrow, as if he could feel her staring he stopped halfway across the yard and putting the wheelbarrow down he turned to look back at the house. He looked straight at her and gave a small smile, raising a hand he gave a wave before carrying on across the yard.

Arya came downstairs half an hour later showered and dressed to find Nasuada and Saphira in the kitchen.

"Ahh hello sleeping beauty!" Saphira grinned as Arya sat down at the table. "Did you sleep well?"

"Better than in a long time." Arya said taking a sip of the coffee that Saphira poured out for her.

"Well that's good. You needed it." Saphira watched her over the rim of her cup with mothering eyes.

A few moments later the door to the kitchen opened and Garrow came in, a warm smile lit up his face when he saw them. "Good morning ladies." He greeted them cheerfully. "Did you all sleep well?" Saphira, Nasuada and Arya all nodded. "That's good to hear." Garrow crossed to the table and poured himself a coffee; he leant against the counter and watched the three women at his table with a smile.

"It's been so good to have people back in the house again." He said after a moment of silence. "Especially women, since Marian died and Eragon and Roran moved out."

"We're very happy to be here Garrow, thank you again for letting us stay."

"It's not problem," Eragon's uncle blushed, and turned his face away. Arya smiled, it was easy to see where Eragon got his bashful side from.

It was at that moment that Eragon came in through the kitchen door, his hair was tousled and he had some dirt on his cheek.

"The horses have all be mucked out and sorted." He smiled at his uncle. "I don't remember them being that feisty though."

"You've been in the city too long, you've gone soft." Roran's playful tone floated through the door that Eragon had left open. Coming through the door he clapped Eragon on the shoulder, and pulled his cousin into a one armed hug. "Give it a few days and you'll be used to it again." Eragon just shook his head and shrugged his cousin off.

Garrow came up behind Roran and placed his hands on his shoulders. "Stop teasing Eragon, I've for some work for you for to be doing now." Steering his son away he shot Eragon a smile over his shoulder as they left.

"So what are your plans for today?" Eragon asked after Roran and Garrow had left.

"Well I don't know about Arya, but Katrina offered to take me and Nasuada out this morning, we're due to meet her in the like 5 minutes." Saphira finished off the rest of her coffee and stood up, Nasuada did the same.

"Thanks for asking me guys." Arya said folding her arms.

"You were sleeping; we didn't want to wake you. Besides I'm pretty sure Katrina wants to take us shopping in Carvahall, and we know how much you hate shopping, so really we're doing a favour."

"I guess." Arya grumbled, "But what am I supposed to do now?"

"Relax, enjoy yourself." Saphira slipped her coat on. "Maybe Eragon could take you on a tour of the farm; get some of that country air into your lungs!"

"Yeah sure, if you're game?" Eragon looked to Arya, and the hopeful look in his eyes made it impossible for her to say no.

"Yeah that'd be nice." Arya said, smiling and finding that it was actually genuine.

"Great, I'll just go and get a shower and then we can go."

Twenty minutes later Eragon came back down the stairs, his hair still slightly wet in the shower. He found Arya in the kitchen, nursing a coffee mug and staring unseeing out of the window into the garden.

"Are you ready to go?" Eragon asked tentatively, not wanting to disturb her.

"Huh? Sorry yeah I am." Arya emptied the dregs of her mug into the sink and followed Eragon out of the kitchen.

Garrow and Roran waved to them from the barn where they were seeing to one of the machines which had broken down. Eragon lead Arya through the farm yard and up a path that led away to the north.

"The original farm ended here." Eragon said about five minutes later as they came to the edge of a field. "But then a few years ago, Garrow came into some money and we were able to buy more land, so now the farm extends a couple of miles up that way." he pointed up towards the woodlands that lay in front of them. "We can take a walk up there if you like, or there's a shorter walk that cuts up through this field?"

"Let's go up to the woods, it's been a while since I've been on a nice long walk." Arya smiled and walked away up the track. "Come on!" she called over her shoulder to him.

Arya for one was enjoying the fresh air; it seemed to help her clear her head. The city was always so loud and busy that Arya's brain seemed to always be in constant motion. Out here she was able to slow down and think properly. Whilst Eragon had been in the shower she had been formulating a plan for what she could tell him, she was under no illusions that whilst they were on this walk they would invariably have to talk about what had happened between them on his birthday. She still wasn't totally sure how the conversation was going to go down, or what actually what she was going to say to him.

They walked in silence across the first field along a public footpath which ran along the edge of the field. Eragon led the way, occasionally glancing over his should to make sure that Arya was following; the looks he was giving her reminded her of the way that Garrow had looked at Eragon the previous evening, like if he didn't keep checking she was there she might disappear. Every time he looked over his shoulder Arya would offer him a smile, she couldn't see his eyes because they were obscured by a pair of sunglasses, but she knew that with every smile she offered they would light up.

They finally reached the edge of the farms boundary, and the woodland that surrounded it. Eragon came to a stop at the stop of the top of the path and sat down on a bench that have been put there.

"Would you like to sit down?" he asked, gesturing a little nervously to the seat. Arya nodded and sat down; leaning back she closed her eyes and allowed the breeze to play across her face. When she opened her eyes she saw that Eragon had sat down beside her, his arms slung across the back of the bench. Because of his sunglasses she couldn't see where he was looking but it looked like he was staring out over the valley and down towards the farm.

"It's a lovely view." Arya said after a few moments of silence, she was not usually one for breaking silences, or feeling awkward in them. She usually preferred silence to talking.

"Yes." Eragon replied. "I used to come here all the time when I was younger and needed a place to think."

"Did it ever help?"

Eragon shrugged. "Sometimes, other times I would just get caught in a rain storm." He turned his head towards her with a smile. "That's not something that helps when you need to think."

"I can imagine not." Arya chuckled. Eragon sighed and took off his glasses, so he could lock eyes with her. One look in his eyes told Arya what was coming next.

"I was hoping that we might be able to talk." He started. "I know we got here yesterday, but I don't know if we'll have another chance so soon."

"You're right." Arya sighed. Shifting on her seat, she turned so she could face him.

"Like I said to you in the car yesterday, things are very complicated for me right now. There are a lot of unresolved things in my life that I don't want to drag someone into because it wouldn't be fair, especially on someone like you." Eragon nodded at her words, feeling his heart sink a little. "Having said that," Arya continued. "I can't go on denying that I don't have...feelings for you."

"Was that difficult for you to say?" Eragon couldn't help but smile at her hesitance in saying the word 'feelings'.

"That's the first time I've admitted it out loud." She said, not failing to catch the way Eragon's eyes lit up at her words. "But, I'm not sure if I can act on them just yet."

"Just yet? Does that mean that there is hope for us in the future?" he asked. "Because, I really like you." At Arya's raised eyebrow he smiled. "But I guess you realised that, I'm willing to wait to see if your feelings turn into anything more, but I don't want to waste too much time if I'm not going to have anything to show for it, if you understand what I mean."

"I understand." Arya replied, impressed with his mature answer. "There could be hope, but I don't want to promise you something, to then break that promise further down the line." She swallowed hard and without realising it moved closer to Eragon on the bench.

"So you don't regret the kisses we've had?" Eragon could not help but move forward, until their legs touched.

Arya shook her head and bit her lip. "No, I don't." She sighed again and cast her eyes downwards. "I've not had feelings for someone since..." she stopped before she could say Fäolin's name. "...well not for a long time." She finished. "And it's scary because it's something I can't control."

"Well maybe you should stop trying to control everything." Eragon tilted her head up so that he could look into her eyes, and once again she was surprised by the genuine emotion that she saw in his eyes as he smiled at her. "And just let it happen."

Arya knew what he was going to do, but found herself unable to pull away as Eragon leaned forward to capture her lips in a soft kiss. The now familiar rush of pleasure spread through her body and within meaning to she deepened the kiss, placing a hand on the side of his face she caressed his cheek. Eragon's hands had found their way to her waist pulling her closer so that she was flush against his body.

"Sorry." Eragon breathed a moment later pulling back but keeping his face close to hers. "I know things are complicated for you, but whenever I look at you I just can't help myself." He'd barely finished speaking again before they were both leaning back in to rejoin their lips. This kiss was passionate and heated, they had spent the last few months dancing around each other and this kiss was the release of that pent up sexual tension.

"God what are you doing to me?!" Arya breathed against his lips when they finally had to come up for air. Eragon chuckled and the sound of it sent a shiver down her spine.

"I don't think _you_ have any idea the effect you have on me!" he replied a little breathlessly. Pulling back at bit Arya ran a hand through her hair and tried to gather her thoughts. This was not how she had seen this conversation going, but she found to her surprise that she wasn't panicking, well not as much as she usually would.

"Are you ok?" she heard Eragon's voice and realised that she must have been spacing out.

"Yes, I'm fine." She smiled and leaning over kissed his cheek. "I'm glad we decided to have this chat."

"Me too." Eragon replied. "I hate to ask, but where do we actually stand now?" Arya couldn't help but laugh as she had been thinking the same thing herself.

"Let's just see where things go. If we start trying to focus too much on it we're just going to go round in circles."

"Sounds good to me." Eragon grinned. "I'm happy to be your friend...for now." The cheeky smile he gave her at his last words made Arya shake her head.

"Shall we head back now, Saphira and Nasuada might be back by now?" Eragon nodded and together they set off back down towards the farm.

* * *

Brom pulled open one of his drawers and pulled out the contents, not caring that a couple of shirts fell to the floor in a heap. Carrying the clothes in his arm back to the bed he stuffed them into a duffel bag that was already a third full.

As soon as he had chucked Morzan out of his office Brom had made a decision. Hurrying out of his office he had driven home as fast as he could and as soon as he was in the door he had started packing. Galbatorix's words still ringing in his ears, he had moved like a man possessed. The hidden threat in the Empire's CEO had not been lost on him, he knew where Eragon was, and Brom needed to protect him.

Zipping up the bag Brom gave one last look round the small flat he had been renting in the time he had been back before heading out the door. Throwing the bag into the back seat he slid into the driver's seat, fumbling to get the key into the ignition into his haste.

As his car gunned away from the kerb Brom didn't realise he was being followed. A few hundred yards behind him was the battered black car of the Ra'zac brothers, keeping at a safe distance so that they wouldn't be seen they tailed Brom through the city and out towards the motorway and the country.

What Brom didn't realise was that by rushing back to Carvahall and Eragon, he had played right in Galbatorix's hands, Galbatorix did not know for sure if the information he had was correct, but Brom's actions that night would set in motion a chain of events that would devastate those who worked at Varden.

* * *

**This is where hopefully the story will start to pick up the pace, with Eragon/Arya's story and the Empire story. I can't promise that it will be plain sailing for our favourite couple because it's never that easy but it will be different. If you liked that chapter drop me a review I love hearing what you guys have to say! Until next time!**

**Pirate-x-Girls**


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